Morrigan's Mistake
by EssentiallyRei
Summary: What if Morrigan made a mistake? The Grey Warden accepted Morrigan's proposal on the eve of battle, but what Morrigan did not know was that the Grey Warden herself was already with child.
1. Chapter 1: Morrigan's Proposal

**Morrigan's Mistake**

by EssentiallyRei

**Summary:** What if Morrigan made a mistake? The Grey Warden Elissa accepted Morrigan's proposal on the eve of battle, but what Morrigan did not know was that the Grey Warden herself was already with child from previously sleeping with Alistair. So when the Archdemon was slain, its spirit instead possessed the unborn child in the Grey Warden.

This story assumes that the Grey Warden was a human female, Elissa Cousland, and it was decided at the Landsmeet that Alistair would became King and marry the Grey Warden.

* * *

**AN:** Most of this first chapter is taken from the game. If you have not played all the way through Dragon Age Origins, be warned: There are *SPOILERS*

* * *

**Chapter One: Morrigan's Proposal**

"The archdemon may be slain as any other darkspawn," said Senior Warden Riordan. "But should any other than a Grey Warden do the slaying, it will not be enough. The taint within the Grey Warden is the key. When the Archdemon perishes, its essence travels through our shared darkspawn taint into the body of the Grey Warden who slays it."

"What becomes of the Grey Warden the Archdemon possesses?" Alistair was inclined to ask. He stood next to Elissa, his fellow Grey Warden, but also his lover and bride-to-be. Both of them had not been Grey Wardens very long, so everything Riordan was revealing was news to them.

If Alistair had not asked this particular question, Elissa certainly would have, but not because it was all new. Alistair and Elissa were thinking the same thing. Of each other.

Riordan knew of Elissa's and Alistair's engagement; what he did not know was how serious their love for one another actually was. To Riordan, the engagement of the two Wardens simply appeared as a political advancement in Ferelden for all Grey Wardens. The Grey Wardens were in a dire position in Ferelden. Putting two Grey Wardens on the throne would strengthen that position; the Grey Wardens would have an even greater influence to rebuild what had been lost at Ostagar.

There was also that if Alistair was to be King, he needed Elissa's support. However, Elissa had taken it one step farther. When it was her responsibility to decide Ferelden's ruler at the Landsmeet, not only did she choose Alistair, she also announced that she would rule by his side.

There had been doubts that Alistair would be a good king—he was timid and had confessed many times that he did not really want the crown. But those doubts, in both the people of Ferelden and Alistair himself, would go away with Elissa as his queen.

Elissa had confidence in Alistair, but she had to make him see his own confidence too.

On a personal level, Elissa had made the decision to "rule by his side" because she loved Alistair. They had not yet actually said these words to each other, but perhaps it did not need to be said for it to be true.

The engagement came at a surprise to Alistair at the Landsmeet, but afterwards he had agreed with it whole-heartedly. He even revealed to Elissa the very same night that he had hoped she would be the only woman he would ever be with.

Riordan's answer to Alistair's question came in the form of, "A darkspawn is an empty soulless vessel, but a Grey Warden is not. The essence of the archdemon is destroyed… and so is the Grey Warden."

Elissa's gaze shifted to the floor as her heart sank. She understood.

Alistair's shoulders slumped as he said, "Meaning… the Grey Warden who kills the archdemon… dies?"

"Yes," Riordan firmly established. "This is what it means to be Grey Warden. Without the archdemon, the Blight ends. We make the sacrifice so that others can live. It is the only way."

So this was it then. The secret of the Grey Wardens was the Ultimate Sacrifice.

Wynne had warned Elissa that something like this might happen.

Many nights ago, the night Elissa and Alistair "shared" a tent for the first time, the Spirit Healer Wynne had asked Elissa what she would do if she had to make the choice between the ones she loved or saving the world.

Elissa had not answered her. It was something she hadn't really wanted to think about then, mostly because it had been the same night that Alistair had confessed his deeper feelings for her before they went into Elissa's tent together. Elissa did not want to think about what _might_ happen when she was happy with what _was_ happening. Being around Alistair made all of Elissa's worries and problems disappear.

Something Elissa still had not yet told Alistair, it had been love at first sight for her. There had been something about him that had made her smile the moment she first laid eyes upon him. It was like he was encompassed with an aura of hope that Elissa felt the moment she stepped near.

It was only a bonus that he could also be quite funny.

But now the choice _had_ to be made—duty was calling. Wynne had been right to ask her question after all.

And Elissa's duty was to make sure that the ultimate fate of a Grey Warden _would not_ befall unto Alistair, but herself. He was to be king and he had to lead Ferelden against the remaining darkspawn after the archdemon was slain.

He was also much too important to Elissa. If she would make the ultimate sacrifice for anyone, it would be Alistair. "I will make the final blow," she said softly.

Alistair did not move next to her, a good sign that he had withdrawn into himself.

"It warms my heart to see such courage," Riordan smiled at Elissa. "But do not hurry so to sacrifice your life. I am the eldest, and the taint will not spare me much longer."

A wave of relief rushed over Elissa, but she dare not show it in front of Riordan. The man had just sealed his fate.

"Only if I fail will the deed fall on you," he added as a reminder. "The Blight must be stopped now or it will destroy all Ferelden before the rest of the Grey Warden can assemble. Remember that."

"But enough," he waved it off. "There will be much to do tomorrow and little enough time to rest before it. I will let you return to your rooms."

"I will see you once the army is ready to march, then," Alistair told him, finally coming out of whatever daze he was in. "I guess this ends soon, one way or another," he was filled with veiled disappointment. Alistair had a lot to think about.

"That it does, my friend. That is it does." Riordan bowed his head to him as Alistair turned and left the room without Elissa. Elissa did not move.

"You wish to speak of something else, Grey Warden?" Riordan gently asked her.

She did, but Elissa did not know where to start. Asking her question was foreboding, yet she did not know when the next time she would get to ask someone with answers would be. All the talk about the taint was reminding Elissa of something she had been trying to forget. Surely a Senior Warden had the answer.

Every night, she would dream of the archdemon—this was common for Grey Warden during a Blight; Alistair had already told her this. The archdemon used the taint to speak to its darkspawn troops; and the Grey Warden, since they too carried the taint, could hear the archdemon speaking in their dreams. However, the archdemon was unintelligible to any, other than the darkspawn. Yet Alistair had also mentioned that a few of the more experienced Grey Warden claimed to understand the archdemon.

This is what scared Elissa. Not only could she understand the archdemon in her dreams, the archdemon had spoken directly to her. It had said her name, calling to her. Beckoning her to seek it out. Elissa did not know if this was an ordinary occurrence for a Grey Warden, but she had a feeling that it was not.

In the end, she was too afraid to ask. Instead, Elissa shook her head and replied, "I am just weary. That is all."

"You should get some sleep before morning," Riordan pressed. "There will be much to do when the army marches."

She quietly left Riordan's room, knowing that sleep would be impossible; the archdemon would certainly be in her dreams that night. More than anything she wished it to be morning already. To her, the nightmare of the archdemon beckoning her was even more daunting than what was to come.

When Elissa reached her room, it was an unusual surprise to find her door already ajar and Morrigan standing in front of the hearth, watching the zealous fire.

_So it is time_, Elissa thought. She had guessed that Morrigan would probably leave before facing the archdemon. The fight was not Morrigan's and it was a wonder that the shapeshifting witch had stayed with them for so long.

The strange part was that Elissa liked Morrigan. She represented a part of the world, farthest away from all the problems of politics and nobles and their civil wars. Elissa found herself fascinated by Morrigan's story of growing up in the Wilds and taking form of an animal that did not have the worries of civilization.

Not that Morrigan lived a peaceful life in the Wilds, Elissa understood. It was another reason Elissa liked and respected Morrigan. Elissa had taken the time to talk and listen to the strong-willed woman and began to understand that Morrigan had grew up differently than most, but that did not necessarily make her evil. Morrigan had a heart, whether everyone else saw it or not.

Alistair, of course, did not share Elissa's feelings on Morrigan. In fact, he hated her. The Witch and the Templar could not be any more than exact opposites, trained to hate each other.

As Elissa stepped into the room, Morrigan said, "Do not be alarmed. It is only I."

"Finally decided to betray me, have you?" Elissa jested as she closed the door. It was always fun to see Morrigan's response to sarcasm. Closing the door was only precaution, in case the conversation turned disagreeable. Morrigan always preferred privacy anyway; it's why her camp was separate from everyone else's whenever they made camp.

"Quite the opposite, in fact," Morrigan was unfazed. She did not even turn from the fireplace immediately. "I have a plan, you see. A way out. The loop in your hole." When she did turn to the Grey Warden, her gold eyes glowed with mastered confidence. She elegantly stepped toward Elissa. "I know what happens when the archdemon dies. I know a Grey Warden must be sacrificed, and that sacrifice could be you. I have come to tell you this does not need to be."

Elissa was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"I offer a way out," Morrigan said with as much fervor as a usually detached person could muster. "A way out for all the Grey Wardens, that there need be no sacrifice. A ritual performed on the eve of battle, in the dark of night."

"You think magic can change our fate." Elissa was dissatisfied and sulked in front of Morrigan. "It sounds too good to be true. How could a ritual prevent a sacrifice when most rituals already come at a price?"

"Perhaps," Morrigan was amused. "But that price need not be so unbearable, especially if there is much to be gained. All I ask is that you listen to what I have to offer, nothing more."

"Very well, Morrigan. You know I listen well." Elissa was making reference to the golden mirror she had obtained and then gave to Morrigan after she told a childhood story that revealed a special quality in Morrigan: she liked jewelry and pretty things; the idea of riches.

"This is true," Morrigan showed the hint of smile before she walked to the bed and sat down. "What I propose is this: convince Alistair to lay with me. Here, tonight. And from this ritual a child shall be conceived within me. The child will bear the taint, and when the archdemon is slain its essence will seek the child like a beacon. At this early stage, the child can absorb that essence and not perish. The archdemon is still destroyed, with no Grey Warden dying in the process."

Elissa had frozen up until Morrigan stopped speaking. "You want to do what with Alistair?" she wildly asked.

"Is that all you heard of my proposal?" Morrigan crossed her arms. "So much for being a good listener, Grey Warden." She tutted in a mocking way. "But I am _hardly_ surprised. What you and Alistair have, must be what they call love. …It makes me sick," she slowly stressed, rolling her eyes.

Then Morrigan stood from the bed and with more compassion and thought she said, "My friend, if you care for Alistair as much as you seem to, you will convince him to do this. Consider what the alternative might be? If you take the blow instead, he loses the woman he loves. How do you think he would feel about that? In his grief he could fail to do his own duty as the future king. I think you have many good reasons to tell him to save his own life. And yours. Consider them carefully."

"Wait… " Elissa was gripped with mixed emotions now. She was not going to take Morrigan calling her friend as trivial. And if Morrigan was confident that her "ritual" _would_ save the Grey Wardens. Save Alistair. And even save Elissa. Then Elissa would be foolish not to consider it. "I want to know more about this child," she breathed, almost forcefully.

"As you wish," Morrigan agreed.

"What do you intend to do with this child?"

"I do not wish to tell you," she immediately replied. "_But_ what I will say: The child will represent freedom for an ancient power, a chance to be reborn apart from the taint. Is that not reason enough to do it? I will raise the child apart from the rest of society, and teach it to respect that from which it came. Beyond that you need know nothing else."

"Will the child be evil?" Elissa decided to outright ask even if the question offended Morrigan. "What will it become?

"Ignoring that after but one night it could barely be called a child… no, the child will not be inherently evil. Allow me to say that what I seek from this ritual is the essence of the Old God that once was and not the dark forces that corrupted it. Some things are worth preserving in this world. Make of that what you will."

Elissa let out a sigh. "What if Alistair wants to see the child?"

"Once the archdemon has been slain, you allow me to walk away… and you do not follow. Ever. The child will be mine to raise as I wish. I have no doubt Alistair may want to see the child. But he will not. It is all I ask in return."

"I'm sure Alistair would be happy with the never seeing _you _again part," Elissa tried finding something positive about the situation. "However, I do not think Alistair will agree with the conceiving you a child part."

"If I know anything about you," Morrigan contributed, "You can be very persuasive. Agreeing to my proposal means you will still need to work your own magic on Alistair, to convince him that this is in his interest. …I do not envy you," she impassively added.

Elissa started to pace in front of Morrigan for what must have been several minutes. When she stopped, she looked at the witch and said, "I trust you, Morrigan. I want you to know that. I can only assume that this ritual is why Flemeth sent you along with Alistair and myself in the first place. I hold no bitter feelings for not telling me what you knew until now."

"It was not easy," Morrigan said with effort. "There were moments… when I wanted to tell you the truth." She frowned and stared at the floor. "Elissa," she looked back up with wounded eyes. "I regard you as a sister. I want you to live. I urge you to accept my proposal."

"I have already decided that I will," Elissa smiled at her. "I've just been trying to decide how to convince Alistair."

Morrigan was relieved. "I shall wait here, then. Go. Speak with Alistair. Return when your joint decision is made."

* * *

"There you are," Alistair said as Elissa quietly came into his room, closing the door behind her. This conversation was definitely going to need privacy.

Alistair was in the process of removing the last of his armor. He looked drained, almost like he was sleepwalking. This conversation would most likely wake him up. Elissa was prepared to hear shouting.

"I'm guessing you can't sleep either," he said sadly. "I also saw Morrigan outside your room earlier. The look she gave me… that was icy even for her." He had finished with his armor and put everything at the end of his bed. "Is something up? Is she abandoning us before battle? She _would_ do something like that."

Elissa shook her head, and then she asked, "Why can't you sleep? Are you all right?" She was asking because she was more than curious—was Alistair having nightmares of the archdemon speaking to him, too?

"Not really. All these men look at me and… I see it in their eyes: I'm their king. Suddenly it feels so real." Elissa inwardly smiled. Alistair would be worried about something like that. "But now you're changing the subject," he went on. "This isn't about me, this is about Morrigan. I'm tired but I'm not stupid. What did she want?"

"Alistair… what if I told you there was a way to avoid dying tomorrow? You know, from the slaying the archdemon, thing."

"Oh, has Morrigan cooked something up? Perhaps a potion. Or maybe we need to dance naked around a fire screaming an incantation. I'm sure whatever it is, Morrigan has you convinced it's going to save our lives."

Elissa chose to say nothing. She merely gave Alistair a woeful glare and sat down on the bed.

"You're right," he said apologetically. "That was bit harsh, even for something from me about Morrigan." He sat down on the bed next to Elissa and exasperatedly said, "I don't trust her. You know that."

Elissa needed to improvise. So far the conversation was looking grim. "This isn't about trusting her. Not this time." She made sure she was looking straight into his sappy brown eyes. "This is about how much you trust me."

"Of course I trust you. I trust you more than—"

"I need you to sleep with Morrigan as part of a magic ritual."

Alistair laughed. "All right, that's pretty funny. Nice way to cut the tension."

Elissa gave it a few seconds.

"But… you're not joking. You're actually serious," he said standing back up off the bed and throwing his hands into the air. "Wow, be killed by the archdemon or sleep with Morrigan. How does someone make that kind of choice?"

"I would do it myself if I could," Elissa thought it would help to say.

"Great," he replied. "Of all the times to regret being a man. Look, just because I have the proper… just because I can… Look, that doesn't make this a good idea!"

"Alistair," she said, looking up at him with hurt eyes. What she wanted to say was going to be the worst way of using it—to get him to sleep with someone else. The way she had pictured saying it for the first time was in a completely different setting. Maybe on their wedding night. Or maybe in a flowered meadow on a romantic picnic.

But none of that mattered if only one of them was to make it out alive after slaying the archdemon.

"I love you," she said quietly. Uncontrollable tears welled up in her eyes. She covered her face with a hand to hide them. "I do not want to see you die. And if there's a chance, any chance, that we can have a future _together_. That neither of us has to die. I would take it." She covered her face completely in both hands. "Please forgive me," she whispered.

Alistair crouched onto his knees in front of Elissa, took her hands away from her face and held them in his. "Do not ask for forgiveness for this," he pleaded. "This is not your fault. I have… never been good at making a decision when it was important. I can see that this is important to you. _You_ are important. Maker condemn me if I let you die." He took one of Elissa's hands and placed it on the side of his face, snuggling into it. "I love you, Elissa. Against my better judgment, I'll agree to this ritual."

He stood and pulled Elissa into an embrace and they held each other for a long time feeling each other's heartbeats.

Elissa eventually pulled away. "Morrigan is awaiting an answer," she told Alistair.

"Yes," he gulped before whining, "I was hoping you had forgotten." After a long groan he added, "Where is she? Let's go and get this over with before I… change my mind."

* * *

Elissa lay alone, her eyes wide open to the dark of Alistair's room. She could not sleep. Of course not. Alistair was in the other room with Morrigan… doing what they were doing. Morrigan's life-saving ritual.

But something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

Elissa did not feel herself. She was sick. Sick to her stomach. And with each passing second, she was getting sicker. Her palms, neck, and forehead all started to sweat. She could hear drumming in her ears. Was it her heartbeat, she could not tell. It sounded like the drums of the darkspawn, like the darkspawn were here, now, ready for battle.

Suddenly something wrenched so hard in Elissa's gut that she grabbed and tore at the sheets. She was convulsing. In her head she began seeing the archdemon laughing at her. He was roaring with laughter repeating the words, "You will not get away. You are mine. You will never escape your fate."

Something foul was working its way up Elissa's throat. She was sick and she was going to lose it. She squirmed until she managed to pull herself up, still clawing at the bed sheets and her head feeling like a bursting lava bubble. Reaching for the vase next to the bed she did not hold back and released whatever foul liquid was coming up in her throat into the insides of the vase.

Her eyes were wet with tears of effort. The drums in her ears were growing wild and louder. Her blood felt like it was on fire, her veins pulsing magma through her body as her head burst with every heartbeat.

She could only picture herself at her Joining. She had watched one recruit drink from the Joining cup. He died in pain as the taint swallowed him up from the inside. He had failed the test.

This pain she felt now was much like the pain after drinking from the cup. Elissa had survived the Joining, becoming a full Grey Warden, but what was happening now? Had she drank from the cup to only have the taint kill her now?

The archdemon was still laughing at her, and the pain coursing through her body had focused into the one spot below her stomach. The same area that cramped during her time of month. Elissa did not understand what was wrong.

But she threw up again.

* * *

Alistair found Elissa curled up in a fetal position against the frame of the bed on the floor. The vase was next to her. "By the Maker," he said, running to her side, setting a candle down on the floor and crouching to see if she was alive. "Elissa, what happened to you?!" he asked when he was sure she was still breathing.

Elissa was in no hurry. Her eyes wandered to the candle and watched the small flame flicker and move back and forth, like it was dancing for her. She had already sweated out whatever trouble she was in and everything had been calm and silent for a shortwhile. Now Alistair was here, and he had brought light. And his heart-warming aura.

Her stomach was also no longer churning or releasing hot sticky liquid. The dryness of her mouth meant she probably needed water, but she did not want to get up. She preferred her spot on the floor that was cool and flat. The nightclothes she wore were soaked with sweat, but against the cold floor they felt good.

"I should get Wynne," Alistair proclaimed.

He started to get up, but Elissa croaked, "I'll be okay. I just need some water."

"No, you are not okay," he asserted himself. "Elissa, you need a healer."

Elissa propped herself up onto the side of the bed. Her silver hair was stuck to her face. "I'll be okay," she said again as she worked at picking the hair out of her mouth and eyes. "There's no need to awaken Wynne. She'll need to sleep more than any of us tonight. She's our only healer."

Alistair opened his mouth to protest, but Elissa reached out her hand to get help getting up and stared at her lover with innocent eyes. He obliged and gently pulled her up. Immediately she leaned into him and closed her eyes. "Let's go to bed," she said like a wife pleading with her husband who had stayed up too late. "I don't have nightmares when you sleep next to me."


	2. Chapter 2: Morrigan's Farewell

**Chapter 2: Morrigan's Farewell**

The area was already swarming with darkspawn and the city was under siege; perhaps already overtaken. The sky was filled with the smolder of devastation as the capital of Ferelden burned. The air was thick with the smell of blood and death brought on by the bodies that painted the way to the city gates.

The army from Redcliffe advanced onto Denerim with their courage relying on the words, "For Ferelden! For the Grey Wardens," from their prospective king.

Alistair halted at the bottom of the stairs after his battle speech to ask Elissa, "Are you sure you're all right? You're pale, and I don't mean pre-battle-jitters pale."

"This is hardly the time, Alistair," Elissa shrugged off his gentle touch from her shoulder. "The darkspawn horde is upon us."

She ran off before she could be questioned again, following Morrigan who was walking rather than running. But Elissa preferred not to speak to anyone and ran ahead of the entire group, twirling her daggers out of their sheaths. She could not explain why she was angry, other than she did get little sleep and she was faced with the very large task of leading everyone into city, despite that it was Alistair who was going to be king and should be leading his men—this thought would not have usually bothered her, but today Elissa was feeling quite irritable.

Elissa plunged her daggers into the first darkspawn she came across in a very unforgiving manner. The first dagger went into the genlock's eye; the second dagger went into its throat. Blood was splayed in two different directions as she quickly tore through it like cloth and proceeded to delve both blades into the genlock that had come up behind her.

The hurlock that now approached was waving an axe at her arms. Elissa kicked the dead genlock that was still attached to her daggers into the hurlock, knocking it off balance enough to give her time to move behind it and stick a dagger between the plating of its weapon arm. As she twisted that dagger, causing the hurlock to drop its axe, she used her other dagger to stab it in the back of the neck, jumping almost on top of it as it fell to its knees and then to the ground.

Elissa looked up and saw Zevran in all his Antivan leather glory and with his own two daggers out, standing in surprise because he had been too late in lending help with the kills. He made an impressed whistle and said, "Perhaps I will start calling you Lady Death. A beautiful name, yes?"

Feeling crankier than ever, Elissa pushed past him. "This is not a game, you know," she scolded. "We have to clear a way to the city."

"But of course, my fair battle maiden," he answered with his usual flirtatious vigor. "I have no intention of staying to _play_ with the darkspawn. Although they would make an interesting torture victim, don't you think?"

Elissa dodged out of the way of an arrow from another genlock and was going to call for a ranged attack, but Leliana was already on it. The bard had her longbow out and had already pierced the genlock in the chest. Another shot to the chest and the genlock was downed.

"If I may, Warden," Zevran said as he ran alongside Elissa. "You do not seem your usual self. It hurts to see you so worked up. Not in the good way," he added with a sly grin. "It's okay," he said encouragingly, "You can tell me. Especially if it was something your betrothed has done. You'd be surprised how many brides hire assassins for their wedding night. And who ends up in bed with the bride before the morning."

As Zevran spoke, Elissa came up to another few genlock and hurlock and perfectly executed a whirlwind maneuver as adrenaline surged through her already boiling blood. Zevran joined the dance and finished each one off as they stumbled backwards from Elissa's cutting-force. He smiled at Elissa when the deed was done, but she grimaced as she took a step back.

Sheathing her daggers, she then covered mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick," she stated before running off towards a spot with tall grass near the wall of the city. There, in slight seclusion, she had another moment as her stomach emptied of the rations she had eaten earlier.

This time it was Sten that saw Elissa as she leaned against the wall and held her breath to pass the nausea. "Kadan, there is something wrong?"

Elissa looked up at Sten with tears in her eyes. "Sten, you can't tell Alistair," she sounded desperate and pathetic, but she couldn't seem to get a hold of her emotions. "I can't have him worried about me. Not now. We have darkspawn to kill and an archdemon to slay."

"Yes. I understand duty comes first," he said tonelessly. "That does not mean Alistair is not already worried. Why do you shed tears, kadan? Are you in much pain?"

Elissa let a few tears drop before wiping away what was left. She took a deep breath. "It is difficult to explain," she replied. Really, she could only wonder what was happening to her. And how could she explain the sensation of mood swings, hot flashes, and nausea to a warrior like Sten. "I'll be fine,' she lied. "Let's get going."

The city gates were broken inward and had been shattered at their centers like the darkspawn had used a large battering ram to break through. The fiery remains of that battering ram lay in area between the two gates. The ram, which had probably been fortified with fire, was abandoned and left to burn after the darkspawn broke through the secondary gate. It was obvious that the gates had not been designed with a darkspawn attack in mind, because the doors of the gates were also almost completely torn off of their hinges. Elissa was sure it would only take two ogres to accomplish the feat of pulling the fortified doors off their solid steel hinges.

Since becoming a Grey Warden, she had seen enough darkspawn to know that they were capable of enormous feats of strength through numbers or by their sheer size. The battering ram they brought along must have been for show, but Elissa wasn't entirely sure if the darkspawn were capable of coming up with such things as scare tactics.

_Or maybe that was the archdemon's job_, she thought as she looked up and saw the archdemon circling a part of the city that was ahead.

She was entranced for a moment as she watched the archdemon breathe fire; convinced that if she listened closely enough, she could hear the archdemon laugh as it set the city ablaze. She could sense the archdemon, and she knew it could sense her too.

Elissa began to itch. Her blood was urging her to seek the archdemon out. It was still calling to her, and she itched to heed its call. It seemed the only thing slowing her down from obeying was the wave after wave of darkspawn that kept running towards her only to fall onto her blades. She did not know it, but Elissa was moving towards the direction of the archdemon in a trance-like state.

She had almost reached the portcullis that separated the first part of the city to the rest when Wynne halted her, bringing Elissa out of her trance. "Warden," Wynne said warily. Elissa could see in Wynne's eyes that she was concerned. "We need to see Riordan before entering the main part of the city."

"Yes, of course," Elissa agreed.

With Wynne behind her, the two regrouped with everyone in front of the city gates. The area had been cleared for the moment and soldiers were tending to the wounded or watching for anymore darkspawn.

As Elissa approached Riordan he said, "You've managed to fight your way to the gates. We're doing better than I hoped."

"That will change quickly," Sten put in his few words.

Oghren exclaimed, "Bloody nug runners! We're numbered three to one!"

Wynne, who was still behind Elissa, said, "What are we to do now, Riordan? You have a plan, I assume?"

"The army will not last long, so we'll need to move quickly to reach the archdemon," he cut to the point. "I suggest taking Alistair and no more than two others with you into the city. Anyone you don't bring with you can remain here to prevent more darkspawn from entering Denerim on our tails."

"I can go alone," said Elissa blankly, not exactly thinking clearly as she began to itch again. She wanted to go, and go now to the archdemon.

The response she got was not a quiet one. Everyone protested at once and Alistair was the loudest of all of them as he shouted, "What?! No! _No!_ You absolutely will not! What would that accomplish?"

Riordan had the most curious reaction as he regarded Elissa with a serious and thoughtful gaze. "The Blight is heavy on all our minds, young Warden." He seemed to know exactly what was running through Elissa's head—the voice of the archdemon. "It affects some more than others," he offered as a vague explanation to everyone else. "That is why we do not go into battle alone. We would lose ourselves if it were not for our allies and friends."

"It was foolish of me to suggest it," Elissa frowned, avoiding everyone's gaze. "How do you suggest we do this, Riordan?"

He immediately went back to strategy. "We're going to need to reach a high point in the city… I'm thinking the top of Fort Drakon might work."

Alistair exclaimed again, all though not quite as assertive as he had to Elissa. "The top of…? You want to draw the dragon's attention?"

"We have little choice," he said sternly. "Though I warn you that as soon as we engage the beast it will call all its generals to help it. I can sense two generals in Denerim. You may wish to seek them out before going to Fort Drakon."

"Do you know where these general are?" Leliana chimed in. "I'm sure that if we did slay those generals, it would stop the darkspawn in the city from doing a lot of harm!"

"Neither of them are near Fort Drakon currently," Riordan answered. "But there are too many darkspawn here to tell you more."

"There's one in the direction of the Market District, and the other is in the direction of the Alienage," Elissa said as she felt inward, feeling the presence of two very powerful darkspawn.

"Yes… Yes, I believe you are right," Riordan readjusted his answer as he, too, reflected inward. Then his dull-blue eyes flashed with apprehension as he met Elissa's eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something important, but he instead hardened his gaze and seemingly forced the words, "Let us decide who you will take into the city?"

"I'm going," Alistair said with no room to argue. He did not look at Elissa for permission either. He was hardened on the decision.

"I think it best if I went," Wynne said a little harshly.

"That is two," said Riordan. "One more, then."

"Shale," Elissa declared.

Shale made a long sigh but said, "If it insists."

"Fair enough," Riordan eyed Shale with an understanding. He knew how handy the golem would be in a fight against a dragon. "Anyone else will need to remain here and assist in keeping more darkspawn from coming in the gates behind us. Who will lead them?"

"Leliana," Elissa did not think twice.

"I will?" she was surprised. "I mean, I will!"

"That should be sufficient," he established. He leaned in closer to Elissa, letting apprehension show again. "Nothing you have done has prepared you for what you face now, Warden. May the Maker watch over you."

"May the Maker watch over us all," Elissa returned the sentiment. Those were Duncan's words. It felt right to repeat them.

A silence fell over the group as they glanced at one another. No one wanted to say a goodbye and no one really wanted to acknowledge that this could be the end. Oghren started humming some dwarven battle tune. Leliana was patting Sten on the arm. The Mabari war hound was nuzzling Elissa's hand as it whined; she bent down to pet him.

Wynne was the first to approach Elissa. "So this is it then," she started. "Whatever happens now… to either of us, know that I am proud to have called you friend. I have your back, Elissa. But may the Maker also smile fortune upon us."

Oghren stepped up to Elissa next saying, "When from the blood of battle the Stone has fed, let the heroes prevail and the blighters lie dead. As one of the blighters, I sodding salute you. Let's show them our hearts and then show them theirs. Haha!" He walked off laughing.

Sten stood tall in front of Elissa. "Are you ready? We have reached the battlefield at last."

"Thank you for everything, Sten," Elissa politely bowed her head.

"You have carried us this far," he was always so confident. "Do not doubt that."

Leliana came up to Elissa and held her hand. This was odd to Elissa and it reminded her of a conversation she had had with Morrigan about all the touching people do in human society. Handshakes, hugging, holding hands. In this case, Elissa couldn't remember the last time she had held a woman's hand, so she assumed it must be an Orlesian thing and said nothing.

"So, this is it… the end of our tale." Leliana squeezed Elissa's hand. "We've come so far. It's strange knowing that all our fates will be decided in a matter of hours." She released Elissa's hand and bowed, "Thank you for believing in me, Elissa. I will do my best here. Be safe, friend, and may the Maker smile fortune on you."

For first time, Zevran did not look happy. Elissa pulled him aside from the rest of the group and immediately said, "Zevran, you are by far the best assassin I have ever spared. I will never regret that decision."

"You know how I feel about you, Warden," he said softly. "I cannot say I am happy with the way things have turned out." He tried smiling, but it was forced. "Alistair is a lucky man. I think he will treat you right, but I do not think he will ever understand… How shall I say this? …your kinkier qualities?"

"How do you know Alistair has not already seen them?" Elissa offered a smirk.

"An excellent point," he smirked back. "Fine, fine," he cracked and became his usual self. "Say hello to the archdemon for me. He never writes anymore, it's rather distressing. And… do watch your back. No getting eaten. Unless you think it's really important, of course."

Morrigan was at the edge of the group, silently standing as far away as she could without looking like she wasn't a part of the group at all. She had her gaze on the archdemon in the distance, but Elissa knew that she was waiting for her.

As Elissa came to stand next to her, Morrigan gawked and said, "So after all that and I'm _not_ going with you?"

Elissa chuckled, replying, "In your condition?"

Morrigan laughed back. The laugh sounded almost like Flemeth's, but Elissa would never dare say this to Morrigan without expecting a major backlash.

"Oh, I see," Morrigan finished. "Very well. Then this is where we say our farewell."

"And if I die?" Elissa said simply.

"Then I would mourn the passing of a friend."

Morrigan then sighed, torn between frowning and glowering. "Once this is done, no matter how it turns out I will be gone. You are aware of this, yes?"

"I will miss you, Morrigan."

"I… I will miss you too." She had finally decided upon frowning. "Allow me to say only one thing before I go."

"You know," Elissa replied as she was trying to hold back tears. "Before we started this mess of an adventure, I did tell you I preferred you to speak your mind."

"And have you come to regret that decision?" she asked quietly.

"Do I regret calling you a friend? Never."

"That is what I wished to say," she had difficulty getting out. "I knew nothing of friendship before we met. And now I do. I will always consider you as such.

…Live well, my friend. Live gloriously."

She turned and walked away, but did not stop or even look back. When Morrigan got far enough, she shape-shifted into a wolf and ran out of sight. No one noticed except for Elissa and Alistair who had walked up next to Elissa.

"There she goes," he whispered. "Never to be seen or heard of again."

"I will remember her," Elissa breathed slowly.

"Unfortunately, so will I," Alistair did not say sarcastically. He shuddered.

"Morrigan has given us a chance to live," Elissa refused to look at him.

"You put more faith in her than I would in your shoes," he sounded frustrated.

"We are both two very stubborn people, Alistair." She finally turned, several late tears streaming down her face as she met Alistair's eyes.

And there it was. The look in Alistair's eyes that made Elissa's world so small, but infinitely beautiful. It was the look she had been so afraid to acknowledge this day, in fear that it might distract her from the task of slaying the archdemon, or that it may have even diminished after what Elissa made Alistair do with Morrigan. It was that very look of his that had driven her to make all of the choices she had made up to this point, including Morrigan's proposal.

It was the look of a man who was irrevocably in love with her. And she with him.

Elissa fell into Alistair's arms that welcomed her without hesitation. "I love you, Alistair," she said with all her heart.

"And I love you," he said back. "Always."

Silence fell upon the entire group as they all seemed to notice the two of them. Elissa realized how dramatic it must be to see two lovers sharing their last moments before they went into battle together.

The tension was hard to swallow, so seconds later she broke it with, "I would kiss you, but I kind of lost my lunch at the gates." She pulled away from the hug to catch a smile on Alistair's face.

"I saw that," he confessed. "I don't know why you thought running away earlier would stop me from keeping an eye on you."

"Are you admitting that you stalk me?" she mockingly acted taken aback.

"Yes! You caught me! I am as guilty as charged. I've been watching you get dressed. I've been watching you get undressed. I watch you eat. I watch you sleep." He paused. "I particularly love watching you sleep," he said more casually.

"That's not creepy at all," Elissa crossed her arms and smiled.

Finally, she looked around at the rest of the group; they were all staring at her. She closed her eyes and said, "My friends," in a whisper. When she opened them she took several steps forward. "Let's go end this Blight!"

* * *

Riordan had left ahead of the group. His mind was set and he was focused on killing the archdemon. However, that was not the only thing on his mind.

Elissa, the young Warden and Duncan's last recruit, had more than proven herself to be a capable Warden. She had traveled across Ferelden and gathered a sizable army in record time that could stand against the darkspawn horde before them now. She appeared to be a natural leader and reminded Riordan a lot of himself when he was first recruited.

The young Warden had even managed to band together an unusual group of companions, who under normal circumstances would probably not get along. A Qunari, an apostate, a former Antivan Crow, a dwarven berserker, a rock golem, a senior mage of the Circle, and a lay sister of the Chantry. There was Alistair too, but as another Grey Warden his duty was alongside Elissa's. As for everyone else, they had such respect for the Elissa that each of them were willing to follow and even go into battle with her.

So why was a Grey Warden as strong-willed as Elissa already showing signs of the Calling?

It was true that during a Blight all Grey Warden were affected more by the taint carried in their blood. The archdemon and a Warden's increased interaction with the darkspawn typically made the lifespan of a Grey Warden shorter during a Blight. But Elissa was already showing advanced signs of blight sickness and she had been a Grey Warden for barely two months.

It took Riordan years before he could sense when darkspawn were near, and even more to refine that sense in order to tell how strong the darkspawn nearby were. Elissa could already sense the almost exact location of a darkspawn. It was clear that the taint in her blood was severe, like she has had direct contact with the archdemon.

The taint within himself was already starting to slowly kill Riordan. He had declared that he would make the final blow to the archdemon for this reason. He could only be troubled by what would happen to Elissa when the archdemon was slain and the Blight was over. If it were not for the Blight, Elissa could very well have found herself in the Deep Roads already, heeding the call to search out the darkspawn and the Old Gods.

The thought was tragic, to see someone so young and spirited to succumb to the taint so soon. If the Maker would not intervene in light of such a tragedy, then what _could_ save the young Warden?

Riordan had to put it all out of his mind, because he saw his chance to attack the archdemon. And he jumped...


	3. Chapter 3: Into the Womb

**Chapter 3: Into the Womb**

Riordan had jumped, landing on the back of the archdemon.

The fierce dragon seemed to notice nothing until Riordan thrust his sword into the bottom of its neck, immediately slowing the dragon in the air. It began to claw at its back where Riordan remained hanging onto the sword. When the dragon could neither remove Riordan or the sword, it went into a dive towards a nearby burning tower.

Realizing what it was about to do, Riordan pulled his sword from the dragon's back as he managed to leap and then drive his sword into the dragon's right wing, just as the dragon slammed its left side into the tower. It gave Riordan a decent jolt, but he managed to hold his grasp on the sword.

Now he was hanging on for life as the archdemon furiously flapped its wings to try and shake its attacker off. Yet the jarring movement merely caused Riordan to pull harder on his sword, leading to the sword almost stripping the wing in two and Riordan falling from the archdemon.

The last thing Riordan saw before he hit the ground was the archdemon spiraling out of control towards the top of Fort Drakon. It was not dead, but it was severely wounded.

* * *

Elissa could not move her eyes off the archdemon as it thrashed and threw soldiers off the top of the fort. A few of them were bitten on before being flung at their fellow soldiers. The brave ones stayed in the archdemon's shadow, spewing arrows at its side. Unsatisfied, the archdemon breathed a stream of purple fire and finished them off. When only dead bodies were left in its wake, it turned to Elissa and the others and roared.

While the others sprung into action, Wynne immediately casting a protection spell over the group and Shale and Alistair running around to flank the dragon's sides, Elissa had hesitated as she listened. The archdemon was speaking to her as it snapped its jaws. The others did not seem to hear it, but to Elissa it was bellowing, "You will not finish me off! I am Urthemiel, the Dragon of Beauty. To kill me Elissa Cousland will only bind us closer together. It is better for you to die."

The dragon screamed as Alistair cut into it with his longsword and Shale pounded into its side that had been assailed with arrows. It retaliated by unfolding its wings and causing a gust of wind that pushed Alistair backward. The weighty rock golem was unaffected, so the dragon spun around and knocked Shale over with its powerful tail.

"Now would be a good time to sneak up on it," Wynne said next to Elissa. "Alistair and Shale can keep it distracted. Go Warden. I will heal as it attacks."

Elissa stepped into action, moving behind the action. As quickly and subtly as possible she moved beyond and behind the scene. There was an offset of stairs and levels on the rooftop of Fort Drakon and if Elissa could jump from one of the levels onto the dragon's back, she could do a great deal of damage. Or so she thought.

The archdemon seemed to be keeping an extra eye out for her as she moved, because as soon as Elissa was on the right level she jumped, but the archdemon swept out of her way, pushing Alistair and Shale back again this time with its claws. It then leapt into the air, completely out of reach.

Elissa had landed on the stone rooftop with a roll, skinning her knees, but it was hardly an injury. She helped Alistair up as Wynne casted a healing spell upon him. Shale was groaning, but pulled herself up in a rumbling of stone against stone. "It can still fly," Alistair said. "That might become a problem."

"It barely flies," Shale grumbled as the archdemon made a rough landing on the other side of the rooftop. "Pound it hard enough and it will be grounded. Permanently."

"Except that we can't reach it where it is now," Wynne pointed out. The dragon had landed on a level of the rooftop that was cracked and unapproachable to melee. In that moment Elissa wished that she had been able to take Leliana with her to Fort Drakon. The bard was quite good with ranged and melee. Together, they could have lured the dragon back to an approachable area.

Across the rooftop the archdemon let out a deafening roar. This roar made Elissa's blood sear with urgency; she had the urge to turn and attack her friends, which she of course did not do. The archdemon was using the taint to call reinforcements, and while it was strong enough to call the darkspawn that now spilled from the tower doors, it was not strong enough to make Elissa turn on the ones she loved.

"We can do that too," Elissa said angrily. The fire in her blood was harrowing as she felt the taint work its way through her head. The sound of drums beat hard in her ears, but Elissa knew this time that it was the pounding of her own heart as the taint tried to take control. She had to work past it and quickly.

She grabbed the horn tied to her belt and blew into it. If the archdemon was going to call reinforcements, so would she. Darkspawn had surrounded the group, and Alistair and Shale worked at cutting and beating them down as Wynne cast small arcane shots from her staff and Elissa continued sounding the horn.

Shale was amazing at pummeling one foe after another; all that could be heard was Elissa's horn and a screams of darkspawn as they had their limbs mashed into pulp. Alistair was now more focused on pushing the darkspawn back with his shield to give Wynne room to cast her spells.

Soon the rooftop was a swarm of darkspawn clashing with array of allies. Dalish elves from Brecilian Forest, mages from the Circle, dwarves from Orzammar, and what was left of the Redcliffe army stormed through the doors to aid the Grey Warden. It was like the entire battle of Denerim had been moved to the rooftop of Fort Drakon.

Elissa dropped the horn and joined the fight as a couple of Shrieks that managed to make it past Alistair had ganged up on Wynne. She cracked a vial of the poison Quiet Death against a vial of Crow Poison in the palm of her hand, letting the poisons drip down her fingers to the tip of a blade before thrusting the dagger into the Shriek closest to Wynne. It died almost instantly and the next Shriek that had knocked Wynne down met the same fate.

Wynne looked at Elissa who had a rage violating her face. Then Wynne noticed the blood dripping from Elissa's hand and gasped. "You're bleeding! My dear Elissa you broke a bottle of poison in your hand! The poison could kill you if it's entered your blood!"

Elissa gave a cold laugh. "My blood is already poisoned." She wiped away the blood and fragments of glass still in her palm onto her armor. "I have to go kill Urthemiel," she said as she turned to an attacking genlock, pushing it down with a boot to its face. "I have to end my madness."

The Dalish archers had done a number on the dragon; arrows pointed out of its body in all directions. The dragon was apparently tired of being out of reach of its attackers, because it had leapt back into melee range. Alistair was now making his way towards it, with a small group of Redcliffe soldiers behind. Elissa followed.

As they approached, the archdemon breathed fire, but Alistair was able to hold his own as he blocked the stream of purple with his shield—Duncan's shield. When the fire was spent, he put a good gash into the beast's neck. The infuriated archdemon stood on its back legs shaking its head to-and-fro until it slammed down in front of Alistair. It was eye-locked with the templar, and Elissa could hear a guttural laughing.

Before Alistair had time to back away, the archdemon reached out and picked him up with a claw, taking to the air with Alistair in its grip.

"Nooooo!" Elissa screamed. She had the heightened sense that the archdemon was going to drop Alistair off the side of the fort.

Elissa hightailed into action. Very close, on another level of the rooftop was a ballista. She pushed her way past the ongoing fighting on the stairs to reach it. She was blocked only by a few hurlock that were trying to use the ballista to attack a group of dwarves below. She didn't even bother killing them; she simply stunned them with powder to the faces and pushed them out of the way as she directed the ballista at the archdemon. It was already loaded and as soon as the archdemon was in line of sight, Elissa released the trigger.

The heavy bolt pierced the archdemon in the chest. It released a cry of pain as it dropped Alistair from its grasp just before it had reached the edge of the rooftop. The fall Alistair suffered was not nearly as far as the fall of the top of the fort, but it still could have killed him. Elissa was beyond relieved to see Alistair turn himself onto his back in effort, hurt by the fall, but still alive.

The archdemon continued to skid across the rooftop until it collided with a fort tower. It began to move very slowly to get up, but it instead collapsed onto its side, lying its head down. It was breathing quite heavily as it bled out onto the stone underneath it, and it would not move again except for the occasional swish of its tail.

Alistair's sword was in sight of Elissa and the archdemon. She did not stop as she felt herself filled with might and fury. As she ran past the sword she swooped an arm down to grab it before charging headlong to make the final blow.

It was Alistair that stopped her as he tackled her from the side only to rap her into an embrace from behind, holding his sword along with her. "I can't let you make the final blow," he breathed heavily into her ear. He was breathing as heavily as Elissa filled with rage and the archdemon that was restless before them. "We don't know if what Morrigan did is going to work. You have to let me do it. Please, I could not bear to watch you die."

The archdemon started to snap its jaws and groan, and Elissa heard, "It does not matter which makes the final blow." It snorted a deep breath. "It will not change your fate, Elissa Cousland."

She cringed into Alistair as it said her name.

"No," she whispered, shaking. "I have to do this. I have to make it stop!"

She was too angry to realize what she was doing as she pushed Alistair back with a monumental shove. Once out of his embrace, she sprung at the archdemon. The archdemon expectant of what was to come used what strength it had to stand on all fours, and Elissa plunged the blade into its neck, cutting down its length. The archdemon released a sorrowful screech before it collapsed its head in front of her, tilting its head to put a big glossy eye on his executioner.

Elissa released her own deranged scream before shoving the blade through its eye.

Bright yellow light shot out from the killing blow like a heavenly beacon. Elissa felt nothing but force as she clung to the sword struggling to let go. The sword was growing hot to touch but an invisible force was holding her to it. A voice—Urthemiel's voice—she could hear it as her womb grew as hot as the sword.

"You have chosen the fate of your child as you have your own, Elissa Cousland. We shall be as one until, in time, you bestow me a new name."

The light expanded outward and the invisible force holding Elissa let go with an explosion that pelted her backwards, Alistair's sword in her hand. As her friends ran towards her, she lay staring at the dusked sky with the one question, "I am with child?" in her mind.

* * *

~A Few Days Earlier~

Warden-Constable Raz was at the reprieve of his day as he set down his quill and folded up the parchment at hand. The sun had exhausted hours ago, and it was the mid of night. He had just finished writing a report on the darkspawn activity seen at the borders of Orlais and Ferelden. It would be sent to the Orlesian Warden-Commander in Montsimmard in the morning. Along with it would be word that Grey Warden Riordan had not yet returned from his mission of infiltrating the Ferelden border to investigate what took place at Ostagar.

The Orlesian Wardens had lost contact with Ferelden's Wardens almost two months ago, leaving the battle at Ostagar that Ferelden Warden-Commander Duncan was heading with King Cailen shrouded in mystery.

Raz and his men had been camping at the borders for weeks now waiting for word, or even better, the return of Warden Riordan. After the Orelsian Grey Wardens had been turned away at the border, Riordan had been solely sent across because he was familiar with Ferelden, being born in Highever. Raz had hoped for his swift return, but the only word, from what appeared to be straggling refugees leaving Ferelden, was that a civil war had broken out after Teryrn Loghain had usurped the throne. Whatever had happened at Ostagar must have been calamitous.

And sightings of darkspawn at the border meant that Duncan's reports that another Blight may have begun in Ostagar, The Fifth Blight, were perhaps correct. The darkspawn were stirring from their holes in the Frostback Mountains and they appeared to have organized attacks and scouting parties. It appeared that Ferelden had become the perfect breeding ground for the next decade long war against an archdemon.

Raz had just melted wax and imprinted the seal of the Orlesian Grey Wardens to the report when a Warden-Ensign appeared at the flap of his tent.

"Warden-Constable, there is news!" It was the most excitement any of his men had shown in days, and certainly broke the silence of another long night.

"Yes, Warden," Raz mildly acknowledged. "Please come in."

Compared to most, Raz was a composed individual during harder times. His men had grown restless with the long days and nights awaiting news from Ferelden and many Wardens had already been sent back to Montsimmard to deal with matters within Orlais. To keep the spirits up of those who were charged with staying at the border, Raz organized small patrolling parties to track and kill the darkspawn that were emerging out of the Frostback Mountains.

Raz led his men with wit and thoughtfulness, as opposed to ferocity and whim. He was a young elf of only twenty-five, but he had been with the Grey Wardens since childhood. His knowledge made up for his youth, despite that many of the men he led were older than he was. Yet it was his bizarre and intimidating appearance that kept any from questioning his command.

"Constable, I bring news of Ferelden," the ensign said as he stepped into the tent. "A messenger sent from Redcliffe is here! She wishes to see you immediately."

Raz said and showed nothing of how relieved he was as he exited the tent. At the edge of camp many of the sleepless Wardens had gathered; their excitement was not uncanny as they stood and chattered away, awaiting the overdue news from their fellow Ferelden Wardens.

The messenger was a female blond-haired Dalish Elf with a bow and quiver strapped to her back. She had prominent blood writing across her face of the Goddess Andruil. As he took in her facial tattoo, he was sure that she was taking in his own, her eyes lingering on his forehead where there was a closed eye tattooed as a part of a more elaborate design across his entire body. The design would be unrecognizable to the Dalish elf, because it was not of elven origin.

Not many outside the Tevinter Imperium recognized its origin. And there were even few in Tevinter Imperium who did. Except among the Altus.

Raz's tattoo was probably more ominous when he was wearing his complete set of customized red steel armor as he was now; minus the helmet which he had left back in the tent. Many took to calling Raz the Demon-Warden when they thought he was out of earshot, because it was thought that his tattoos were once a part of a demon summoning ritual.

The truth was not far off, but few needed to know the truth.

The female Dalish elf, standing in the light of a campfire that one of the Warden-Ensigns had rekindled, was accompanied by two weary-eyed human soldiers. They did not seem happy to be travelling with an elf, or at night; they grumbled their complaints to each other as they threw dirty glances at their elf companion.

They seemed less unhappy with the Warden-Constable as he approached them looking like the "demon" that he was. They need not know that not only was he an accomplished swordsman, he was also a mage.

The less people knew about Raz, the less problems there were. _Better rumors than facts_, he had figured out a long time ago.

"You hail from Redcliffe, I was told," Raz spoke to the elf lady.

"I," she haughtily emphasized, "hail from the Brecilian Forest. These are my escorts sent by the Arl of Redcliffe. I was sent because I could get here the quickest, company not included. Forgive our tardiness. We could have been here two days earlier if we all had quick feet as I do." She was clearly not happy with her human escorts.

"Late news is better than none," Raz assured her. "What business does the Arl of Redcliffe have with the Orlesian Grey Wardens? Is Senior Warden Riordan in Redcliffe?"

"He is," she became grave. "Much has happened. Riordan's full report," she pulled a sealed parchment from the satchel at her waist, "is here. It will mention that there were only two Grey Warden that survived the battle in Ostagar. Also," she paused. "One of those Wardens is the heir to the Ferelden throne."

Raz graciously accepted the letter, taking care not to show overwhelming interest in her news.

"If you excuse me," she promptly told him. "I do not have time to linger. I must go back to my people. We are to gather at Redcliffe to march with the Grey Warden's army. Details are in the report," she said before he could ask. She made a polite human bow, and walked past her escorts who grumpily bowed before following her.

Raz's men were all staring at him with anticipation like he was going to open the report and read it out loud. Instead, he glanced around and coolly said, "Take the night to mourn your Ferelden Warden-Brethren," before calmly making his way back to his tent to read the report in private. He could hear groans as he closed the flap of his tent.

By the light of his lantern he broke the seal to the report and began to read. It was a very thorough and long report, but despite its details, it still left a lot of questions to be answered at its end.

Still, the most important thing that Raz had gathered from it was that the Orlesian Wardens were needed. At the break of dawn, they would head out and march to Denerim, hopefully in time to stop the archdemon.


	4. Chapter 4: Post-Coronation

**Chapter Four: Post-Coronation**

"My friends, we are gathered to celebrate those responsible for our victory."

Alistair stood clad in shining gold-plate armor, the head of a dragon imprinted on the breastplate. It was armor fit for a king and Alistair had just been crowned King of Ferelden by Grand Cleric Elemena. The court was now assembled to recognize what Alistair titled the "hero of Ferelden", and he was proudly smiling down on Elissa who was standing at the front of the crowd.

Many nobles crowded the chamber wearing a bold assortment of orange, yellow, green, brown and red. Elissa, herself, was wearing a non-typical long-sleeved floor-length green and silver gown that had a secondary blue velvet skirt with the Cousland family crest embroidered on the side. While everyone believed Elissa was wearing the dress for the occasion, the real reason was hidden under the sleeves and floor-length skirt.

Three days ago, after the defeat of the archdemon, a greenish rash had begun to form on Elissa's skin. So far it had only affected her arms and legs, but Elissa usually wore her drakeskin leather armor that revealed these parts of her body. Much to everyone's surprise, Elissa had taken to wearing dresses. Thankfully the behavior was not too out of the ordinary, because the fighting was over and everyone was going about with their own ways of celebrating.

No one had yet discovered Elissa's "secret"—either of them. But Elissa now knew that her blight sickness _and_ pregnancy were somehow linked.

After the final fight, Elissa had refused to see any healer, including the overly concerned Wynne. She did not want anyone to discover that she was with child, or that the taint was so greatly affecting her. It had taken all her persuasive powers to convince everyone that she was perfectly healthy and fine after taking the final blow, yet Elissa didn't think they were completely convinced yet. She was convincing herself that as long as she acted fine, they would all start to believe she was.

The truth was unspeakable.

"Of those who stood against the darkspawn siege of Denerim, there is one in particular who deserves commendation." Alistair goofily smirked at Elissa from atop the stairs. He was enjoying this moment a little too much. Elissa might be enjoying herself, too, if she wasn't hiding the darkest secret she had ever, literally, possessed.

"The one who led the final charge against the archdemon remains with us still, an inspiration to all she saved that day."

_That was an overstatement_, Elissa suppressed a frown. What kind of inspiration would she be if everyone found out she was carrying the soul of the archdemon in her womb?

And as for still being alive… The taint in her blood was killing her, she knew it. The rash was not something that was going to just go away; it was going to get worse. It was not a matter of _if _she would die; it was a matter of _when_ she would die.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Alistair gestured for Elissa to step up to the throne. "May I formally present my betrothed, who will soon be your queen," he added as she stood in front of him.

She was bowing her head trying to appear humble so she would not have to stare into his jubilant eyes, and he into her forlorn eyes. He didn't go for it and he raised her chin up with a gentle hand. There was a miniature moment that Alistair regarded her with puzzlement as she tried to look away.

"My friend," he said slightly austere. "It is hard to imagine how you could have aided Ferelden more. I think it appropriate that I return the favor. As a reward," he said more slowly. "I offer you a boon of your choice. What shall it be? If it is within my power to grant it, you shall have it."

The court was utterly silent waiting for Elissa's choice. It was so unlike her to keep them waiting. She never hesitated in front of nobles. "I need… " She glanced at Alistair to the floor. "I need more time," she whispered.

"Hopefully you won't wait too long," he sympathetically replied. "But the offer will stand for as long as you need to decide." He turned to the crowd. "Let it also be known that the arling of Amaranthine, once the land of Arl Howe, is now granted to the Grey Wardens. There they can rebuild, following the example of those who went before them."

"I like that idea," Elissa said only for Alistair. It was a thoughtful gesture for the both Cousland family and Grey Wardens.

"And it is high time some scholars were collected to learn more about the darkspawn," he went on, impressing Elissa even more. "We'll face them again, with the dwarves as well as here." It occurred to her that Alistair had done a lot of planning after the battle of Denerim. He was showing good initiative. Already being a good king. The people of the court cheered with approval.

"What are your plans?" Alistair offhandedly asked as the cheering died and the crowd dispersed to chatter and celebrate amongst themselves. "I assume with our wedding you will be remaining in Ferelden?" he had the hint of doubt in his voice.

For the first time since the start of the event, Elissa turned to Alistair with a real smile. "Oh. I won't be going anyway. Not for a good eight or nine months, anyhow." She knew there was no way Alistair would understand the implication she had just made.

"Well that's good news," he was relieved. "Your skills will be sorely needed here at court."

She chuckled. "I think you're doing wonderful at court. The nobles seem to like you. And what's not to like? You have the cutest smile when you're not worrying about everything."

"I am so glad you are all right," he suddenly broke his formal demeanor. "I was so scared that I might lose you, but... here you are. And here I am. I guess Morrigan was telling the truth after all. About the… ritual. I've been wondering what the ritual is going to cost, eventually."

"Let's not worry about that right now," Elissa digressed.

"The other Wardens haven't arrived yet from Orlais," Alistair was not going to let it go. "But they've already sent… questions. They want to know how you survived."

"What are you going to tell them?" she flashed a set of curious blue eyes on him.

"Well," he smiled. "We are most definitely not going to mention that a maleficar saved you by sleeping with me on the eve of battle." His face contorted into a look of concentration and a smile. "No, I suppose I'll just keep that to myself. I can shrug and look stupid. It's a talent.

"At any rate," he relaxed. "I can't wait to be alone with you. These formal affairs drive me insane. It's a shame we haven't been able to see much each other the past three days. I already miss having you next to me in bed. You're like my teddy bear. My teddy bear, The Hero of Ferelden."

Elissa couldn't help but crack a smile, even though she was overwhelmed with anxiety. Being alone with Alistair meant he was going to find something out. Unless she could think of an excuse not to be alone with him.

"Not to mention you've been such the temptress wearing those dresses of yours," he was trying to be flirty. "I didn't think it was…" He stopped and blushed. "Yes, what I mean is... I didn't think seeing you in a dress would be quite the turn on," he said very quietly. "Less skin," he mumbled. "But you look so beautiful."

"Oh, look," Elissa didn't care she was showing avoidance. "My brother Fergus is here! If you will excuse me, your majesty." She bowed. "I have places to be and people to talk to."

"I won't keep you from your adoring public," Alistair said with suspicion. "They want to see their hero, and who am I to keep them waiting?" He was being facetious, but Elissa ran off towards her brother anyway.

When Elissa walked up to her brother he immediately put his arms out expecting a hug, saying, "Look at you! My sister a Grey Warden! And the future Queen of Ferelden!" They embraced and Elissa held back tears. "Mother and Father would be so proud. I know I am. You've done good, little sister."

"I knew I should have looked harder for you," Elissa squeezed him harder. "I'm so glad to see you alive!"

Their embrace broke as Fergus said in grief, "Most of my men were killed." Then he explained, "We never made it to the battle at Ostagar. We were still scouting in the Wilds when we were attacked by darkspawn. I woke up two weeks later in a Chasind hut, wounded and feverish. When I finally got out of the Wilds, weeks later, I tried going back to Highever. You can imagine what happened, I suppose."

Elissa remembered all too well what had happened at Highever. That night had changed her life forever, in the real world and her nightmares. "Howe paid for what he did," she told Fergus. "He died by my own two blades."

"I just wish I'd been there to help you kill him," Fergus's jaw clenched. "At least Amaranthine now belongs to the Grey Wardens. There's some justice in that, I think."

Elissa could see the anguish in her older brother. He had lost more than just his parent's at Highever. He had lost his wife and son. She wanted to tell him how sorry she felt for his loss, but she knew it would do no good. It would not change what happened. She stuck with hugging him again.

"Soon I will be returning to Highever," he said after the second hug. His eyes shined with determination. "See if I can clean up the mess Howe made of it. I will see you soon, I hope?"

"I really hope so," she felt a lump in her throat. "I'll try to see you before you leave, at least."

"Take care of yourself, you hear little sister?" He rubbed the top of her head, frizzing her hair. "Or I'll find you and nag you like Mother did until you're ready to tear out your hair."

As Elissa smacked his hand away she said, "You're already doing that you big oaf. Go frizz your own hair!"

"Ah! I knew I could get you to smile," he laughed.

She was smiling, but tears were also stinging the corners of her eyes. She moved away from her brother towards Shale standing like a statue nearby. "Hello Shale," Elissa initiated. "Enjoying the festivities?"

"No," Shale grumbled.

A startled noble woman next to them blurted, "Oh Maker! That thing speaks?"

Shale ignored the noble and said, "The humans in here stare at me like I will pulverize them at any given opportunity. I may take the opportunity, later. However, being inside is a nice change of scenery. No birds."

"Please don't squish any one here of all places," Elissa playfully said back. "It would be such a shame to ruin the carpet."

"It jokes," Shale sounded slightly amused. "It must be very full of itself after killing the archdemon. I thought its chances were little to none. But here it is, alive and still speaking to me."

"About that, Shale." Elissa did a look-around and pretended to be discreet. "I wanted to thank you more than anyone. I know we hardly know each other, but you went into the Battle of Denerim anyway. And between you and me, you were the most helpful out there during the fight against the archdemon. You're an amazing… thing, Shale."

"There it goes with the flattery again. I've noticed that when it opens its mouth and moves that moist tongue, it can convince almost anyone do anything. Still, I thank it for noticing my superiority. It may even be worthy of being called superior, itself."

"So what does a large rock creature like yourself plan on doing now that the Blight is over?" Elissa was in fact interested.

"It speaks like I cared the Blight was upon the world in the first place." Shale did one of her heavy sighs. "But, its question is reasonable. I do not know what I will do. Does it have an idea? I am not used to having the choice to go where I please."

"I do have one idea, actually." Elissa was trying to be thoughtful.

"Of course it does," Shale sighed again like she hadn't asked for Elissa's opinion in the first place.

"You should go back to Orzammar," Elissa excitedly replied. She wanted to sound optimistic for Shale's sake. "The dwarves would probably make you a paragon. You did help stop the Blight and you're a walking piece of history." However, Shale didn't look convinced, so Elissa added, "The dwarves are not like the humans that you were forced to watch for so long at Honnleath. Besides, you could learn more about your past there. Or at least it's a start."

"Hmm," Shale was thinking about it. "Is it so eager to get rid of me?"

"It was purely a suggestion. If you would prefer, you can stay here." Elissa gestured to the noisy nobles, knowing the idea of being in a constant environment of humans would be unfavorable to the golem. "Despite your dislike of humans, I've grown fond of your rock form and crystalline glow," she continued. "But I am warning you! Most of what will go on here will be petty human politics. And I can just picture how awful you would find mine and Alistair's wedding. All those birds they'll release. Birds everywhere!"

"It has made its point," Shale groaned. "I suppose it is right, too. Orzammar is far more favorable than a city full of humans."

"The choice is ultimately yours," Elissa smiled. "So I'll leave you to decide. We'll talk again soon; you know I enjoy our chats, Shale. For now, it looks like I have to stop Sten from devouring the entire cake…"

She made her way from Shale to Sten who was standing over the table in the corner that was piled with sweets, and a cask of ale and a barrel of wine on the ends. Sten seemed to be paying attention to no one as he stared down at a colorful two-layered cake at the table's center. Nobles were staring at him, but all of them were too afraid to approach the qunari warrior to get to their own food and drink.

"You're holding up the line, Sten," Elissa stepped next to him. She grabbed a knife and immediately started cutting into the cake.

"Is this food free to take from?" Sten was dead serious.

"Party refreshments," she told him. She took a plate and set the piece of cake she had cut onto it. She offered it to Sten. "Go ahead."

"I am allowed?" he was still serious.

"I would be hurt if you didn't," Elissa pouted. Sten took the plate and Elissa guided him to the end of the table as to not be in the way of everyone else who wanted refreshments.

Sten started taking in large scoops of the cake into his mouth with the fork Elissa handed him. "They call you "hero"?" he said with a mouth full of cake. His face was getting covered with the pink icing. "I have not heard it used before, but I think I understand the intent." He paused to swallow and smack his lips. "The arishok on occasion has declared a qunari to be qunoran vehl, one who serves as an example to others. Such examples are always made after their death, however. A death in service to the Qun. A living qunoran vehl would be too proud."

"Oh?" Elissa almost laughed at watching him finish the last bite of cake. "Do the qunari celebrate and put on parades?"

"When a qunoran vehl is declared, certainly." He looked at his empty plate, back to the cake on the table and frowned. Elissa chuckled and took the plate, walking back over and getting another piece for him, returning to an almost childlike Sten who readily took the plate back. "It is one of the few occasions when the qunari are permitted to engage in… revelry," he said taking in more cake. "There is imbibing of spirits, public chanting, meditations abandoned… it is madness."

"That would be quite a sight," Elissa smiled, comparing a qunari festival to the eagerness of Sten to devour a cake.

"It is… interesting," Sten replied, concentrating more on the last bite of his cake again. "It can take days for the Ben-Hassrath to restore order. There may even be executions."

This time when he finished the piece, he pardoned himself as he set his empty plate down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. When he walked back over he said, "I suppose I should tell you… I have decided to return to my people. Your quest is done, and thus so is my reason for accompanying you."

"I expected you would," Elissa understood.

"It must be said: You gave me the chance to redeem my honor, and now it is done. I owe you a debt."

"You don't owe me anything, Sten." She awkwardly thought of her rash and how much time she had left to live. "You already helped me. That is all I could have asked for."

"Some debts cannot be discarded," he responded with sternness. "There will come a time when I will return, and then it shall be done. Until then, may you always find the path you seek. This is farewell, kadan."

"I understand," she bowed her head. "Thank you, Sten."

She left him to the table again. He was already eyeing the plate of cookies next to the cake. She pictured him being found later on rolling on the floor with a tummy ache. It made her chuckle as she bumped into Wynne who had been standing and chatting to a group of mages from the Circle.

"Sorry, my friend," she politely acknowledged. "I was distracted by a funny thought for a moment. I'm sober, I promise."

"It is so good to see you smiling, young Warden," Wynne declared with the critical gaze of an old woman. "You gave us all a scare after the fight with the archdemon. I was especially worried." She tightened her gaze, like she was expecting Elissa to come out with the truth.

"There is no need to worry about me," Elissa used all the confidence she could muster. "It's over, after all. None of us could have asked it to end any better."

"True enough," Wynne nodded.

"Will you be returning to the Circle now?" Elissa tried not to sound like she was in favor of the idea. She did not want to remain under Wynne's ever-watchful gaze. If Wynne stuck around she would surely learn of Elissa's condition sooner rather than later.

"Irving asked me to take over as first enchanter," she answered informatively. The news was promising. "But I don't wish to go back," she conflictingly declared. "Not after all this. Instead, Alistair has offered a position here at court. He's a good lad, and his heart is in the right place. I have taken the offer. You and I will likely be seeing a lot of each other a great deal." She arched a brow. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"I've been travelling with you for weeks now, my dear Wynne," Elissa tightened her lip into a forced smile. "Why would having you at court be any different? I look forward to it. If you don't mind, since we'll see each other real soon, anyway, I am in need of speaking with our other companions." She excused herself but knew that Wynne's hawk-like gaze stayed on her back as she walked away.

Wynne was going to be persistent. And Elissa even wondered if Alistair had asked the old woman to stay at court for more than the reason of having a mage around to advise the throne. Maybe Alistair wanted Wynne to keep a watch on Elissa, to make sure she was indeed okay. Or maybe Elissa was being paranoid now—she had done a lot of lying over the past three days.

Hearing the familiar chatter of Zevran telling a story, Elissa found her way to a small gathering of nobles listening to their Antivan guest tell a comical tale. Elissa noted that Zevran was keeping out the darker points of the story. There was no need to scare the nobles, but Elissa knew that Zevran was also advertising himself; nobles even in Ferelden may have use of an assassin.

But Elissa wasn't going to let that happen. _She_ needed Zevran.

Zevran finished his story and all the nobles listening in laughed. A few threw a flirtatious smile at the elf and he smiled back, but his smile was aimed at Elissa. "May I interrupt," she drew closer to him. "I need to talk to you."

"I can see this is important," he said. "Excuse me, my Ferelden hosts. I cannot deny my friend." Both stepped away from the gathering of people into a quieter corner.

Before Zevran could say anything, Elissa solemnly whispered, "Not here. Meet me in my room late tonight in the west wing of the palace. The guards there will be expecting you. They will let you in my room whether I am there or not. If not, please wait for me." As several nobles walked by, Elissa loudly said, "I'm glad you are enjoying the party, my friend! It's so nice to be able to relax after all the fighting!" When they were out of earshot again, she sighed in front of Zevran and walked away without saying anything more.

* * *

She sat quietly on the side of the king's bed in the king's room—Alistair's room. The fire had died to an ember glow. A candelabra on the beside table had all three candles halfway melted. Elissa had been there for almost an hour, and despite the lateness, she was still in her dress. She clung to its sleeves like she was cold, but it was her rash and blood that was bothering her. It was like a constant tingle that had moments of searing hurt.

Elissa had been waiting for Alistair, and as she was waiting she stared off into the darkest corner of the room, ruminating. She wished she could shrink away into the darkness, never to be seen again, much like Morrigan had managed. But Elissa knew that wasn't possible. Not for her. As a Grey Warden, it was duty over desire. Had it not been desire for Alistair that had gotten her into this mess in the first place?

Yes, she knew what she had to tell Alistair. She knew it was not going to go over well. She wasn't even going to give him the whole truth, just the brink of it, and she knew it would not go well.

Sure enough, Alistair came into the room already rubbing his tired brow. He did not notice Elissa until he looked up. "Elissa," he spoke with weak smile. He was already out of his armor and wearing a simple green tunic and loose string-tied trousers. He collapsed onto the bed next to her and moaned. "These formal events wear me down to the bone. And then Arl Eamon wanted to go over the entire week's timetable."

He reached over and took Elissa's hand. He began planting kisses on each of her knuckles. Then he began to work his way up her hand, but when he began to pull the sleeve of her dress up to work his way up her arm, she immediately pulled away. He pined with a disagreeing moan.

"Morrigan left to go have a baby," Elissa was not going to bide her time.

"What?!" Alistair flew off the bed, his exhaustion completely disappearing. "Tell you me did not just say what you just said?"

"The ritual, the reason why it had to be you," Elissa tersely explained. "She needed to conceive a child."

"Oh, no… Oh, no, no, no. No!" He was walking in a circle now. "Oh Maker… Why did I not see this coming?!" He was angrily laughing. "It makes sense now! She needed a child that had the taint so that the archdemon's soul would… go to her, rather than you. How could I have been the fool?! How could I let myself have sex with that woman?!"

He shuddered. "Who knows what she has planned with a child that… not only has the soul of an archdemon, but is also heir to the Ferelden throne!"

"If any is the fool in this, it is not you, Alistair," Elissa said very softly. She was not going to argue over this. Morrigan's child was the least of Elissa's problems. "If any are to suffer the consequences of the ritual, it is I." She was being ironic; she was already suffering consequences, and it was not Morrigan's fault. "I am the one that asked you to sleep with Morrigan. I am the one that let her leave without thought."

"We have to find her," Alistair abruptly declared. "We have to find her… and… We cannot let her have this child."

"I cannot let you do that," Elissa looked up at him with a very solemn and deadly expression. This point she would argue. "Morrigan has no intentions of using the child to take the throne. What she wanted was the essence of an Old God to preserve and raise away from the rest of the world."

"Oh, well, that's much better isn't it?! Morrigan wanted a demon baby that could show up years from now and kill us all!"

_No tears_, Elissa forced upon herself.

"I… I'm going to leave you to yourself," she said as she stood up from the bed quivering. "I think it better this way. I will be staying at the Highever Estate until… Well, until you decide if you can still trust me."

Elissa basically ran from the room. When she was in an empty corridor she fell to her knees, shaking. Her blood burned, but this time her vision left her too, much like when she drank from the Joining Chalice. She clenched her fists and grinded her teeth until the burning passed. When her vision came back, she stood, pulled her hair out of her face, and began walking normally to the west wing of the palace.


	5. Chapter 5: Zevran's Task

******AN:** Thank you for the reviews fellow Dragon Age fans! I'm going to go ahead and apologize that this chapter is not as long as it should be. It just felt right to end it where I did. Please enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 5: Zevran's Task**

Alistair knew he had been too harsh when Elissa ran from the room without looking back. He didn't even have a chance to say _wait!_ And he was too frustrated to go after her, fearing that he would only yell at her again. The damage was done; no need to cause more.

"Just great, Alistair," he said aloud. "How many times will you prove to be an idiot?"

He lay on the bed covering his face with a hand repeating something in his head that he had heard from Leliana:

"_Women are like flowers. They are beautiful and bring joy, sometimes poisonous or with thorns. But if you treat any flower too roughly, they fall apart."_

Elissa had never seemed like a flower, despite how beautiful she was. She had always seemed indestructible, like a flawless diamond that no matter what direction you shined light on it, it would refract all the colors.

Was it possible that he had been wrong? Maybe Elissa was not indestructible. Maybe she, like a flower, could fall apart. Leliana hadn't mentioned if the flower could be put back together again once it fell apart.

_Not a real flower, but a woman flower. Could a woman flower be put back together if…_

Alistair groaned. He knew he wasn't making any sense. Elissa wasn't a flower, or a diamond. She was a person. A person whom he had just chased away with fury because he didn't like the truth she had told him.

That was the "brilliant" part of the matter. He had yelled at the woman he loved because she had been honest with him. It was certainly going to encourage her to be honest with him henceforth—_Not!_

Alistair didn't know much about relationships, but what had just taken place had to be what was called: A lovers' quarrel. He and Elissa were at a disagreement on a matter, and Alistair had let it become more than just a disagreement. He had let it become a wedge. The question now was if he was going to remove the wedge.

He undoubtedly wanted to. The problem that kept arising in his mind was that no matter which way he looked at it, letting Morrigan have his child was not going to end well. The way he saw it, Morrigan had been a viper than had coaxed Elissa into thinking she was one of the good guys. And having a child that had the essence of an Old God as well as being the heir to the Ferelden throne did not sound like a good guy kind-of-thing.

While Alistair could clearly see the difference between Elissa and Morrigan, for some reason Elissa had felt an affinity to the witch. Alistair had noticed that Elissa seemed to think that she partially walked the same path as the "shadier" characters. Why else would she ally herself with an apostate who wants to have demon baby, an assassin who had attempted to assassinate her, and even a Qunari that had murdered a family of farmers?

Sure Sten and Zevran had proven to have a certain amount of honor in the end—still not one of the good guys, but they proved useful. But that was also why Morrigan was the viper. She had planted herself into the story early on so that she had ample time to convince the hero, Elissa, that _she_ was one of the good guys. And then, on the eve of the final battle…

Well, Alistair saw the deceit, anyway. So why wasn't Elissa seeing it?

It was an enigma that was going to keep him up all night. And he was either going to work through it by figuring out a way to change Elissa's mind about chasing Morrigan down to prevent her from having his child—one way or another. Or Alistair was going to give in and decide Elissa was right; there was no reason to worry about Morrigan or her demon baby.

One thing he was sure on, he was not going to let this Morrigan issue put a wedge between him and Elissa—not permanently. Come morning time, Alistair was going to think up a way to apologize to Elissa for being too harsh to his future wife and Queen.

* * *

Elissa felled the upper half of her tired body onto the pile of books stacked on the writing table where she had been sitting and sleeping all three nights since the battle of Denerim. Unbeknownst to everyone but a few guards and maids, this small library in the west wing of the Royal Palace had become Elissa's room as she pored over books and notes, searching for information on the darkspawn or the Old Gods.

An elven maid by the name of Lemari was willing to make occasional trips to the Highever Estate across the city and back with clothes for Elissa without letting anyone know that Elissa was really spending her nights in the isolation of this room at the palace. Elissa had another room, elsewhere in the palace with a bed and comforts of living, but it had gone untouched. She hadn't been doing much sleep, anyway. And now she needn't worry about Alistair going to that room to find that she wasn't there, since she had just told him that she would be staying at Highever Estate.

The dresses and some other items of clothing Elissa had been wearing had been her mother's, left behind at Highever Estate, and most of the clothes that Lemari would bring back, Elissa was sure, had never even been worn before. Eleanor Cousland, Elissa's mother, had only ever come to Denerim on rare occasions with Elissa's father, Bryce Cousland, when he was needed at court. Eleanor would probably only ever come to Denerim with Bryce to visit with Queen Anora. Elissa knew the two had been acquainted, and it was probably why all the clothes Eleanor left behind were so fashionable—dress to impress the Queen.

Highever Estate had been abandoned since the battle of Denerim, but now her brother Fergus had taken home there while he was in the city, bringing with him what servants had survived the Howe's takeover of Highever Castle. And because of the estate's recent inhabitants, it was getting trickier for Lemari to go the estate and back without being seen as suspicious or perhaps a thief.

But it looked like Lemari's most recent trip had been successful, because lain next to the books Elissa rested on, was a neatly folded nightgown.

Thanking the Maker that she wouldn't have to wear a dress all night, Elissa began untying and unbuttoning her dress. She realized she must had been too eager to get out of it when the door opened and the guards out in the hall who knew Elissa was inside the room let in Zevran, closing the door behind him. She had forgotten she had told them to send him this way prior to going to see Alistair.

She quickly pulled the upper half of the dress back on, but it was too late. Zevran had seen. But had he seen the rash? "No need to stop," Zevran grinned at her. "If you wanted to jump right in it, by all means." No he had not.

Elissa frowned and clasped her hands in front of her as she stood up tall like a noble getting ready to make a decree. She wanted to seem official to Zevran.

Staring at her with curious but patient eyes, he then looked around at all the bookshelves. "_This_ is your room?" his gaze landed back on Elissa. "When you said meet me in my room, I imagined a much different setting. A four-poster bed. Some warm candlelight. Silk sheets to slip under as I made merciless love to you. A library would not be my first choice, but we can make it work."

"I didn't ask you here for… _that_," Elissa said tiredly. "I'm sorry if I misled you, Zevran. I haven't exactly been thinking clearly the past few days…"

Zevran chuckled. "No need to apologize, my desirable lady. Believe it or not, I recognize a real business call when I hear it. I was merely _teasing_," he happily made clear. "I cannot help myself when I am in a room alone with you." He made an official bow. "Zevran Arainai. Assassin at your service. Who do you need killed?"

Elissa hesitated, feeling the weight of her night shift from one problem to another. Finally, after carefully running her plans through her head one more time, she said, "Please, understand, Zevran. This is a task I warily hand to you. It is one I would take up myself… if the circumstances were different. I can promise you will be generously paid for your service. And discretion."

"As always," he shortly agreed. "But please. The anticipation is just too much. Who is this target that you would take your own blades to if you could?"

Elissa closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "I need you to find Morrigan."

"I knew it! I knew you were going to say Ali… Wait. Did I hear you right? Did you just say Morrigan?"

"I need you to track her down and bring her back. I don't need you to kill her." She shook her head. "Just bring her back. I would start at Flemeth's hut in the Korcari Wilds. Morrigan may not be there, but she may have gone there to get some of her things. It's as good as a place as any to start."

Any kind of smile on Zevran's face had evaporated, leaving behind the eyes of a stunned elf. "Let's make sure I heard you right. You want me to track down Morrigan—the witch that abandoned us before battle. And you don't want me to kill her? You want me to bring her back?" Elissa nodded once and he immediately said, "No offense, my beautiful Warden, but I'm an assassin, not a common mercenary. I don't leave my targets alive."

Elissa found herself regarding Zevran with a shrewd smile.

"Except for you, of course," he realized his inaccuracy. "You were a special target."

"Morrigan is a special target also. She is my friend." Elissa hung her head. "It was wrong of me to let her go so easily…"

"So that's it then?" Zevran was still not happy. It was a side of him the Elissa was not used to seeing. The amorous elf had always kept a sense of pleasure about him. But he looked upon her with stubborn eyes now. "I am sorry to say that's not good enough, _Elissa_," he said her name like the swipe of a dagger. He never called Elissa by her name. He preferred to come up with a new kittenish name almost every time they spoke. "I will not accept your task without first hearing truth of the matter."

Zevran had not exactly said it unkindly, but Elissa was shaken to the point she could not speak. It was a strange thing when the behavior you expect from one individual is instead portrayed by a completely different individual. Elissa expected Alistair to be the one to demand the truth from her; to point a sword at her throat and demand the truth until she spouted the truth of every lie she had ever told—metaphorically of course.

Instead, it was Zevran who had just pinned her to the spot demanding the truth, when she had believed that Zevran would follow her without question. Now she was at the realization that she was being selfish to assume his loyalty. She had already hurt him once before when she rejected him.

She and Zevran had much in common. They were both rogues after all, who enjoyed some exciting bloodshed every now and again. And they both had darker points to their pasts—some of those points of her life Elissa had not even shared with Alistair, but she had shared bits and pieces of it with Zevran. Yet Elissa was unstoppably drawn to Alistair's innocence and aura of hope. While Zevran accepted his darker attributes, Elissa wanted to replace hers. That is why, in the end, Elissa hand turned away Zeveran's urgence for romance, or even one night of fleshly indulgence.

So why had Elissa thought Zevran would let himself be used after being rejected?

She fell to her knees and clutched her arms, trembling. But she was quietly laughing as well. "What a pitiful thing I have become," she said for her own sake. Releasing her arms, she slumped to the floor, sitting like a little girl would as she played at her dollhouse, which Elissa had done quite a lot of when she was little. "I cannot sleep. I cannot eat. I cannot tell truths."

Zevran, oddly enough, joined Elissa on the floor, sitting cross-legged in front of her like he was joining in on story time. "All three of those can be remedied," he offered his usual smile. "What bothers you, tell me. It might make you feel better."

Elissa started pulling off the upper half of her dress again. She did not care she would be showing her upper undergarment to Zevran. But his eyes never left her eyes anyway, until she held out an arm to him and waited for him to take in the green rash and even darker green veins in the arm.

"You have been poisoned," Zevran immediately made his observation. He impulsively took her arm and gently started to examine it. If there was one person who knew his poisons, it was Zevran. But would he recognize the poison of the taint?

"This poison runs deep in the blood," he said as he took in Elissa's other arm with a glance. "It is remarkable that it has not killed you yet. That says much of your strength of will and body. Most would die with such a poison in their blood."

"Most do," Elissa whispered, thinking back to her Joining again.

"I know many antidotes to rid of such a potent poison, but none within reach of Ferelden. Perhaps a pinch of the Sacred Ash?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," she admitted. "But I have another in mind for the task of returning to the Temple and retrieving the ash. Leliana is aiding the Chantry in an expedition to the urn. She will not be leaving for a month, however."

"You do not think you have that much time?"

"I have as much time as I can make," she replied. "This is why I need your help."

"Speak no more," he dismissed his earlier reaction. "All though I do not understand how Morrigan can help, I will do as you asked and bring her." He put his hand to his chin. "Hmm, unless of course, it was Morrigan that did this to you?" he said more interestedly. "Then I highly suggest you let me bring her back to reverse the effects of whatever foul magic she used before I thrust my blade into her back, yes?"

"Morrigan is not responsible," she promised him. "And neither is Alistair," she said more strictly recognizing the question in Zevran's eyes. "I can't believe you thought I'd put a hit out on my future husband," she began to say as she worked her arms back into the sleeves of her dress.

Zevran followed Elissa with his eyes as she did this and as she got up. "A lonely assassin can dream, can he not? Dream of holding his Lady Death in his arms while—"

Elissa turned away shaking her head, but smiling while she interrupted him with, "That's not going to happen and you know it."

"As long as my comments make you smile," Zevran defended, leaving it open-ended.

She ignored him however and went to the writing table. "There are few words you need to say to Morrigan to have her come back with you. Once you find her, that is. You will tell her this exactly… "Elissa says you have the wrong child.""

"Child?" Zevran naturally asked. "How will such a message get Morrigan's attention?"

"The message is meant for only Morrigan to understand," Elissa was going to leave it at that. "If she wishes to explain it to you, that is her choice. Now, about payment."

Elissa reached to the end of the table and opened a metal box where a small bag was stored. Picking the bag up, she tossed it to Zevran who caught it. "Those are ten flawless emeralds, Zevran. When you return with Morrigan, you will get ten more."

He looked offended. "My Elissa, you are slowly succumbing to a poison and you expect me to take payment to help you find a way to overcome it?"

"Yes," she answered simply. "Because that is how _we_ rogues work. Besides, it is more than a payment, Zevran. Even if you were not to go on this task for me, I would give you the gems. Expect you to disappear. The Crows may still come after you, after all. What's a better way to disappear than with a little money in your pocket?"

"I see." Zevran looked hurt more than ever. "This is your way of saying goodbye."

Elissa slowly approached the sulking elf who was staring down at the bag of emeralds in his hand with a frown. "All you really need to do is deliver the message to Morrigan. Once you do, she will come. You have no need of returning with her. I want you to be safe, my friend. I…"

"There is no reason to draw out the moment, my sweet Elissa." He pocketed the bag of emeralds. "I will not remain where I am not wanted."

Zevran turned to leave, but Elissa caught him by the hand. She let go, embarrassed, when Zevran turned his head to her with a surprising grin. "Was I wrong? Was there more to be said?"

"Don't forget," she puffed her bottom lip in annoyed embarrassment. His grin said it all: Zevran had known she wouldn't let him leave so easily. "I said you would get ten more emeralds if you _did_ come back."

"That you did," Zevran laughed.

After he left the room, Elissa went back to the metal box on the table and picked up a thin gold earring that was inside. She sat down at the table, took the top book off the stack, and opened it in front of her. She began to read as she played with the earring between her fingers.


	6. Chapter 6: The Boy and the Dog

**Chapter 6: The Boy and the Dog**

The picnic blanket Elissa laid upon on her stomach was set in a wild but charming grassy meadow with the shade of trees not far in the distance. The lemon-green grass reminded Elissa of a blanket of fur and was almost as soft as she ran her hand through it. Blitheful flowers of yellow, red, and white were scattered across the lemon-green meadow, and Elissa started to finger a bouncy white flower like a toy spring as she languidly waved her feet in the air. She was comfortable and content.

An open basket was near with a bottle of wine poking out from its inside along with an assortment of fruit overflowing from the top, like the grapes that dangled over its side. The plump and purple grapes were abnormally big and made Elissa think of merry feasts with her family. In fact, the picnic blanket seemed to have the same romantic-paisley pattern as the tapestry that was once in her mother's room. Everything felt so familiar, but so alien.

Alistair was lounging next to Elissa on the blanket, a hand and an arm supporting his head as he ate an apple from his other hand and stared up at the glowing sky. He was wearing a dark blue belted-tunic and brown trousers that well-fitted his faultless masculine body. He was looking so positively adorable that Elissa had to sit up and ruffle his already never-combed hair. It was a funny thing that his hair was never tidy when he was a king now.

He reflected his green eyes up at Elissa and he smiled before sitting up alongside her, leaning over, and kissing her on the cheek. She childishly giggled, blushed, and then reached her hands up to hold the sides of his face as she kissed him back more intimately.

"You were right about everything, my love," he said fervidly. "Everything has turned out so perfect." He leaned in to kiss her several more times, leaning forward more and more until Elissa's back was arched. She was almost lying on her back, but she supported herself up with one arm.

A wind started to pick up, rustling the grass and brushing the trees; the sound was restful. Elissa could feel it wisping through her hair, sending strands of silver into the air. She took a moment to pull her hair back so she could see Alistair and feel the wind in her face more precisely. She loved wind in her face—a Fereldian trait—and the view of Alistair made the moment all the more tantalizing.

Yet Elissa could swear that there was a song on the wind. It was intrinsic and achingly beautiful, but a sadness started to well in her chest. She suddenly felt like crying, but Alistair ran his hand down her side. She forfeited, falling completely onto her back with her eyes closed. She waited for him to make more of an advance, but nothing happened. Elissa opened her eyes to find that Alistair was gone.

She quickly got to her feet with the instinct that something was wrong. Where had he gone? Her eyes scanned the meadow, but she saw nothing. The wind picked up immensely and the skirt of Elissa's dress swelled and billowed. The song on the wind was strong in her ears and she was overpowered with grief that made her shiver. She wanted to find the reason for the wind's sadness and mend it.

The sound of children laughing interrupted the wind's lament and Elissa turned her head towards the direction the laughter came. She spotted what was certainly Morrigan leisurely sitting against one of the trees in the distance, reading a book. Morrigan was wearing a refined purple dress, fit for a noble, that was lavished with lace and had the glimmer of a gold under-bodice.

Two little boys, one a little older than the other, were running after one another behind and around Morrigan's tree laughing and playing. Morrigan remained unbothered until the younger of the boys stopped next to her and threw a handful of grass over her. She snapped her book shut and gave the boy a disdainful glare before slowly revealing a smile. She then playfully stuck her tongue out at the boy who ran off laughing.

Eventually Morrigan looked up and around and noticed Elissa. She waved, expressing a warm and welcoming smile before she pointed at something in the sky, beyond Elissa. Elissa turned her head in the direction only to meet stares with the older boy of the two who had been playing. He had somehow appeared next to her without her noticing.

This boy was of maybe six years of age, a head of silver hair like hers, but he also held an intense perceptive gaze—a gaze that Elissa knew she had seen before. The boy also looked vaguely like Alistair with the same pointed but square chin and small but high, puffy cheeks in his face. He stared at Elissa with a low brow—with those eyes she swore she had seen before.

"This isn't real," the boy said. His voice was experienced and barely the voice of a six-year-old. "Do you see it?" he asked turning and looking up at the sky. "Do you see the Black City?"

Elissa put her gaze up, and for the first time since being in the meadow, she saw a shadowed island hanging in the distance. The black island could be nothing more than ink spill in the sky if it were not for the twisting black structures and spires that jutted up from it. The Black City was a sullen reminder of the mistakes of mortals, and Elissa realized as she watched it being nothing but still and encroaching that she was indeed in a dream.

"It was beautiful once," the boy said reminiscently, returning his eyes to Elissa. "But what it once was is no more. It can never be what it once was, again. Corruption either grows or kills, but it never heals. What do you think?"

Elissa bore down at the boy with confusion and caution. "If this is a dream, you are not real."

"You know better than that, Elissa Cousland," the boy said scornfully.

Elissa finally understood where she had seen and heard this boy before. He had not been a boy at all when last she encountered him. He had been a dragon, and Elissa had taken a sword to the piercing gaze he had given her then. The boy was looking at her with that same piercing gaze now.

"Urthemiel," Elissa said with contempt, remembering how maddening the fight with him had been. She clenched her fists, but she was not about to strike down a boy. Not even in the Fade. Not even if the boy wasn't really a boy.

"That was once my name," he said thoughtfully, looking out at the changing scenery. Elissa had broken the illusion of her own dream and the landscape was becoming less dreamlike and more fadelike. The sky had turned to a sickly-yellow and the ground became rocky and greenish. A few of the meadow-flowers remained, seemingly growing from the rocks now.

"What will my new name be, I wonder," the boy tilted his head and smiled up at Elissa.

"What makes you think I'm going to name you at all?" she snapped back. "What makes you think I will allow myself to bring you into the mortal world for your second time, but in the guise of a human?"

"I am the only one who can save you," the boy said it like it was obvious. "Do you fear me?" he asked more fondly. The question came at a surprise to Elissa and she did not have an answer. "I will not be the same," he did not elaborate. "There is no reason to fear me."

"What do you mean you will not be the same?" she needed to understand. Maybe she wasn't afraid. Not of the boy anyway, but of what having the boy meant.

"If I am to be reborn into mortal world, I will not hold the memories of being Urthemiel," the boy answered. He oddly reached out and held Elissa's hand, but even stranger was that she did not mind. She suddenly felt close and somewhat protective of him. "Everything will be new. I will need to be taught and trained like any child."

"Are you asking me to be your mother?" Elissa almost laughed.

"I've never had a mother before," he said innocently.

"What? Dragons don't have mothers?" she did laugh this time. She had gained a portion of her confidence back. The boy was not threatening at all, especially as he held her hand and blinked at her like a real little boy without worldly experience.

The boy did not answer this time, either. He didn't seem to understand her humor, if he understood humor at all.

"We will have to speak more the next time you dream, Elissa Cousland," he abruptly announced. "In the Fade, I can help you overcome the corruption spreading through your mortal body. In return, I hope to earn your trust."

"I try not to make deals with demons," Elissa said back. "Others tend to get harmed in some way if I do. She thought back to little girl she had allowed a demon to possess in the town of Honnleath. If Elissa had not helped the demon, it was obvious the little girl would have been killed. At least now the girl would remain alive in some way, the way Elissa saw it and yet regretted at the same time.

"Do you see me as a demon?" the boy was curious.

"You did command a horde of darkspawn to destroy countless mortal lives," she brazenly responded.

"Corruption is a terrible burden," he woefully said. "The darkspawn are drawn to our song, but when we are touched by the corruption within the darkspawn, we are compelled to answer to it. We compel the darkspawn as much as they compel us. Surely, mortals understand this."

"You say _us_," Elissa openly thought. "You mean the other archdemons?"

"You continue to believe _us_ as some form of demon," he denoted before replying, "Us refers to my brothers and sister."

"We definitely need to talk," Elissa promptly agreed to his earlier comment. "You hold all the information I need. You are… Excuse my pun, but you are a dream come true for a Grey Warden who is looking for information on the darkspawn and Old Gods."

He unexpectedly chuckled—so maybe he did have some kind of sense of humor.

"You will not remember our conversations when you awake in the mortal world," he warned. He hadn't found Elissa's pun humorous at all. He found Elissa's ignorance humorous. "Any knowledge I share with you will only be retained in the Fade. Just as I cannot retain my knowledge outside the Fade."

"I have retained knowledge from the Fade before," Elissa opposed, not meanly.

"That may be true, but in this case _I_ cannot allow you to awaken in the mortal world with my knowledge. This is not to spite you, Elissa Cousland. This is to protect you and those you love. My knowledge holds corruption." He finally released Elissa's hand and sighed. It was a boyish sigh. "This may be hard for you to understand, but we both desire to stop the corruption, in ourselves and out."

Elissa took a long moment to think. While she did, she watched the boy as he crouched down and examined one of the flowers that still existed from Elissa's dream; he sprung it like a toy as Elissa had done when she had been lying on the picnic blanket. As the flower bobbed up and down he looked up at Elissa with a bright kiddish smile on his face, and then turned and sprung it again. She could not tell if the boy was putting on act or not, but it was a convincing one if it was.

"Wish I could say I will think about it," Elissa started. "But I won't remember talking to you when I wake up."

The boy perked up. "Knowledge and emotion are separate," he replied with excitement. "You may not retain the knowledge of our encounters, but you will remember through feelings."

"I don't quite understand," she admitted.

He smiled at her again. "What you do in the Fade affects what you do in the real world. You will learn this soon enough. You must go now," he quietly relayed. He grabbed hold of her hand again and looked up at her with an expectant gaze.

After that, Elissa felt herself whisked away…

* * *

Elissa awoke to the sound of Lemari entering the room.

"Goodmorning, Lady Cousland," the elf girl said as Elissa sat up and rubbed the crust from her eyes. Sleeping on old books had irritated them.

Lemari started to work around Elissa, closing and moving aside two of the four books Elissa had open on the table. One of the books she left was open to an illustration of a spiny brown dragon. The other left open was a journal of some sort with a date from 9:10 DA scrawled at the top of one page and an illustration of a black-scaled dragon on the other. Lemari set a plate of food down in front Elissa as she eyed the illustrations of the dragons.

"Dragons, my Lady?"

"A high dragon," Elissa mumbled, still waking up, but staring at the journal like she had most of the night. "Encountered by King Maric almost twenty years ago. He wrote down the account when he returned to Denerim. Among other things…"

"You found a journal written by King Maric?" Lamari sounded impressed.

"It's very vague," Elissa answered. "I think he only wanted to write an outline of what happened—something he could read, but his own mind would fill in the gaps. Not something for any other reader to get the complete tale."

Lemari said nothing more as she set a folded dress she had tucked away under her arms onto the stack of unopened books. She collected the nightgown that Elissa never changed into from the floor. "Do you need help getting out of your dress, my lady?" she asked curiously.

Elissa turned to her with a piece of toast in her mouth. "What?" she was completely unfocused because she had gone back to reading again, the journal in her hand. "Oh. No, no," she shook her head and removed the toast. "I didn't have time to change last night."

"My Lady, perhaps you should think about getting some fresh air today," Lemari began as she further opened the curtain of the only window in the room, letting in what morning light there was. "You have been looking rather pale; the outside air may do some good. It's better than a room of old books."

Elissa cringed as she made a hard swallow of the cheese that was on her plate. She was forcing herself to eat, really. She was more than likely to throw it all up later. She peered over at Lemari who was staring out the window in a contemplative worrying manner. "You're not the normal sort of maid are you, Lemari?" Elissa asked the elf girl with amusement. Lemari was not dressed in rags, but a lovely, clean blue dress with a white apron over it. She looked like a professional.

"I suppose I'm not," Lemari answered. "I'm _your_ handmaiden. Assigned to you by Arl Eamon. My job is to assist the hero of Ferelden in any way I can."

"You were assigned to me?" Elissa felt a pang of regret for not being more considerate. "I didn't know that. Forgive me Lemari; I thought you were a normal palace servant." Lemari turned to Elissa with a mouth of hesitation. "There's no need to hesitate around me," Elissa told her. "If you have something to say, please say it. I prefer that you speak your mind."

The elf wrinkled her face with concentration, which made her look the older; maybe she _was_ older than Elissa. "It's just, Lady Cousland… that you're not the normal sort of noble. You're a Grey Warden, in fact. I only hope I can meet your expectations."

This made Elissa laugh. "Well, since I will obviously be seeing a lot of you," Elissa accepted. "My expectations for now are only that you do not repeat anything I say to you in this room to anyone. No idle gossip with the other servants. No telling Arl Eamon even if he asks. And especially do not say anything to King Alistair. Best that you avoid him completely, actually."

"Secrets, my Lady?"

"Yes, secrets," Elissa said sternly. "Can I trust you to my keep secrets, Lemari?"

"You're a Grey Warden, my Lady," Lemari repeated, but astutely answered. "I expected that I would need to keep secrets, for your sake. The Grey Wardens already have so many secrets of their own."

"Excellent," Elissa was pleased with her answer. "Now… are you ready to hear my first secret?"

She glanced at Lemari to see what she thought. Lemari was tight lipped, but was intensely focused. Her ears were perked to more of a point, if that were possible. She nodded to show her preparedness and huffed like she was getting ready to receive a heavy blow to the body.

"I could try searching these books for knowledge on this subject matter…" Elissa sighed. "But seeing as how this room is filled with what was probably King Maric's personal library, and I don't think he was overly concerned of this happening to him personally…" Elissa straightened her back before she said, "Lemari, I need you tell me everything you know about childbearing."

* * *

As Elissa swiftly walked the palace courtyard, she was feeling the best she had felt in days. She was wearing the green long-sleeved dress that Lemari had brought to her hours earlier, which again, covered her rash, but the humming in her ears and burning in her blood seemed minor today. It was an exhilarating feeling, and all though she wondered why she felt better, she was not, at the moment, overly concerned about why. Lemari had brought word that the Orlesian Grey Wardens would arrive in Denerim about mid day.

A fast-footed messenger had arrived at the palace in the morning to relay the news to Arl Eamon. Eamon was now gathering men to meet the Wardens at the city gates. Most of the city was still in bits and shambles, but from what Lemari told Elissa, Eamon was going to try and give the Orlesian Wardens a worthy entrance. Alistair would march out with his men in his kingly armor and escort the Wardens to the palace where they would have a courtly and proper greeting.

It sounded like Eamon was going to be keeping Alistair busy, which was good for Elissa. The bad news that Lemari had relayed was that Eamon also wanted Elissa to march _with_ Alistair and the men to the city gates, preferably in her armor suited for a Grey Warden and hero of Ferelden.

This plan did not suit Elissa at all—the fact that she would need to wear her skin-revealing armor and that Arl Eamon would go looking for her at Highever Estate. She was now rushing to get away to the estate before Eamon or Alistair realized she was not there. She was usually good at disappearing, but it was more difficult to maneuver in the green dress Lemari had picked out for her. It being too tight and slim for her otherwise bloated belly—Lemari had realized her mistake after Elissa revealed she was pregnant.

Elissa heard a couple of men approaching and decided to take a dive behind the uneven and neglected shrubbery against the palace walls to hide. She didn't want anyone finding her, including palace servants or guards. She figured her green dress would be like camouflage as she quietly waited in the shadow of the shrubbery. Eventually two armor-clad men passed, ignorant of her presence as they chatted about the arrival of more Grey Wardens and how the presence of so many Orlesians would affect Denerim.

When they were at a good distance away, Elissa started to hear something else—something in the bushes with her. It sounded like heavy breathing—no, it was more like snoring. She put her hand out towards where it sounded from, and touched something cold. She immediately flinched back, but then reached out again. The material was metal, no doubt, and as she felt more she realized it was armor. There was someone sleeping in the bushes.

She brought her hand further up the armor which seemed to be broad but only big enough for a child; her hand felt braided hair and then a large, wide nose. "Oghren!" Elissa exclaimed.

The dwarf grunted awake in response to his name. "Where are ya!" he shouted as he sat up swinging his arms. "I'll knock all your teeth right out of your ass, you lint-licker." The dwarf's breath was by far the worst it had been since Elissa had met him. It was a combination of strong ale and rancid pickle juice; she was warded backwards just by the smell of it.

"Oghren, shhh!" Elissa warned him. "It's me, Elissa."

"Who?!" he all but shouted.

"The Warden," she returned in a disbelieving tone. "Did you get drunk and pass out behind the bushes last night?"

Oghren groaned and said, "I had to take a piss." He rubbed his head and removed a few twigs stuck in his beard. "I think that's what it was," he mumbled. "It was either I had to piss… or maybe I was chasing a dog… Ugh." He released a horrid burp. The stink of it lingered. "I don't quite remember, Warden," he went on. "I remember a barrel of pickle juice. And I remember staring at this dog in the chamber room with all those overgrown children that couldn't hold their ale…"

"Were you bothering my Mabari war hound?" Elissa sharply asked.

"This was a different dog," Oghren pounded a fist on his other hand. "This dog was giving me the stink-eye. It reminded me of… Well, what was her name?… " He groaned and rubbed his head again. "Morrigan!" he shouted. "This dog was giving me the same disdainful look that Morrigan, that witch, would always give me."

"There was another dog in the throne room?" she was a little more interested now. A suspicion had crept into Elissa's mind. "What did this dog look like?"

"Small thing," Oghren answered. "You don't happen to have any ale with you, do you? And do you know where I put my axe?"

"And you said this dog reminded you of Morrigan?" she ignored his questions.

"Damn straight that thing did! After I finished my barrel of pickle juice, that butt-sniffer stared me down with the same callous eyes she always did, before it strolled out of the chamber. I knew I had to follow it, show it just who it was dealing with! I think that's how I ended up here…"

Elissa was shaking her head and holding her forehead in disbelief. "Oghren, you realize that probably _was_ Morrigan."

"You think so?" he looked like he was thinking hard about it.

"That means…" Elissa sounded ominous without trying, "she could still be in the city…"


End file.
